Protection Protocol
by maturebel
Summary: Tris Prior is an aspiring young reporter living in Chicago, Illinois. Everyday life takes a turn when famous actor Tobias Eaton connects with her, in a way she never would have dreamed possible. But someone keeps leaving her messages, messages that promise a price to pay for capturing Tobias Eaton's attention.
1. Chapter 1

"Mr. Eaton! Mr. Eaton!" A chorus of yells springs up around me, and a blue clothed arms swings across my cheek. I swat it away impatiently and grip my recording device even closer to me. A few extremely crazed, high-on-Starbucks reporters ahead of me is the most gorgeous person I've ever seen; Tobias Eaton. Ruining it for me, but also completing the scene, is his girlfriend, the famous model Shauna. She is flawless, from her rich brown hair to her gold hoop earrings. Even her casual jeans and dark blue sweater look amazing. My gaze flicks back to Tobias Eaton.

He lifts a hand, and his sleeve falls away from his wrist. I see his watch, and blink a few times. From a big shot actor like him, I'd expect him to wear a nice watch, maybe a diamond encrusted Rolex. But his watch is only one of those performance watches that monitors heartbeats and whatnot. My dad collected watches, so I know more than the average person.

"No questions," he says in his deep voice. He lowers his arm again and his sleeve falls to cover the watch again. The other reporters surge forward after him, but I stay in place. I've been in this business long enough to know that "no questions" means "no questions." Tobias Eaton disappears into his hotel. I hear a loud sigh behind me and turn. There, with her camera propped on her shoulder, is my business partner, Christina.

"The other cameras were in the way," she tells me, flicking a shiny strand of dark hair from her cheek. She is much prettier than I am, at 5'8" with warm brown skin, desirable curves, and shiny black hair that falls in a sleek curtain around her shoulders and ends with a flash of gold. Then there's me, with my pale skin and dull blond hair, my grayish blue eyes and lowly height. Everything I hate to see on the rare occasion when I dare look in the mirror.

"Damn," I reply, and turn off my little recorder. No way I got good footage on it anyway. I tuck it into the pocket of my jeans and pull my black jacket down over the pocket for good measure. The wind lifts my hair off my shoulders and spins it in a tiny tornado around my head. I push it impatiently back. There are the certain disadvantages of living in Chicago.

We climb into our Channel Eight news van, me in the passenger seat and Christina at the wheel after she carefully sets her camera down in the back. I run a hand over the top of my head and stare out the window, watching the hotel shrink further and further into the distance before another building rises up and replaces it. I imagine Tobias Eaton is in his room by now, maybe looking down on the street below. Never knowing our names.

The van stops at a busy intersection. I take the time to pull out my phone, in its simple white case, and check the time. We will be just on time back to our news headquarters. Good. Our boss, Eric, does not like to be kept waiting. In a few minutes, we are in the parking lot and stepping out into the cool September day.

As soon as we walk through the front doors, Eric is coming towards us. He is wearing one of his trademark navy suits and a matching tie. A permanent scowl rests on is face, and I groan quietly. He's in a bad mood. "Finally back, are you?" Eric runs a hand over his short hair in agitation. "Did you get footage on Tobias Eaton?"

I do not want to be the one to tell him, but I speak. "No. The crowd was too thick." I wait for an outburst, the anger I am so used to. But he clenched his jaw and stays quiet, which is dangerous for him. It means there is more to come.

"Who was there?" he growls through clenched teeth. His assistant, a young girl with glasses and a neat blond braid, hands him a stack of carefully sorted papers. He snatches them and stares at them. "Get back to work, Cara." He scans the papers quickly before staring at us again.

"Chanel Three, Channel 11, WRT3, and a few others," Christina reports. He grumbles something under his breath and slams the papers down on his desk. A few flutter to the floor, and in that moment he looks exactly like one of the movie made angry bosses.

Eric's phone rings, and he glares at us. "I will expect you to find Me. Eaton again tomorrow and get us some footage," he growls. "Now get out." The phone insists on ringing and he picks it up, answering in a surprisingly calm voice. Eric is like that when he talks to customers; he goes from crazy angry to the Eric everyone else sees, calm and calculated.

I say goodbye to Christina, and we part ways. The street is bathed in dusk light, the time of day when it is too light to turn on the streetlamps but too dark to see much. I see a mother and her little girls running along the sidewalk behind me, wearing matching Chicago shirts. That is another one of the bad things about Chicago; the amount of tourists is unbelievably bad. They are everywhere. But even so, I smile at the little girls as they barrel past, and again at the mom who apologizes before chasing after her daughters.

My apartment is only a few blocks away, so I prefer to walk home from work. I pass the storefronts that are bright with merchandise, and the darker ones that have closed already. Cars stream past in an endless path, and I smile this time as the wind hits me. No matter how many flaws it has, there is no place I'd rather live than here in Chicago.

I reach the apartment and take the elevator up to the fifth floor. I pull my key out of my purse and unlock the door marked _E12._ Inside is my ever happy, pumped up roommate, Marlene. We have been friends for so long that I've stopped counting the years. Next to her on the couch with a glass of wine in his hand is her boyfriend, Uriah. He waves when I walk in and casts a winning smile at me like I am a celebrity. I roll my eyes but can't hold back a grin. Uriah has that effect on people.

"I hope you don't mind, I invited him over." Marlene says, pushing her brown hair back from her face. She grins at me, too, and lifts her glass of wine to her mouth. Uriah jabs her in the ribs and she lurches forward, almost spilling the wine, and erupts into laughter. I smile at them.

"Its fine. I'll be in my room." I tell them, and open the door bridging off from the kitchen. It's small, with only a bed and a dresser and nothing else. White walls. White sheets. Darkness out the window, where they have finally turned on the streetlights. I sit on my bed and sigh. Before I allow myself the wonderful pleasure of sleep, I have to find out where Tobias Eaton will be tomorrow. I pull my laptop out from under my bed and lay across my bed, opening it.

Smiling out at me from my desktop is me and my brother Caleb, when he visited a few months ago. I watch the picture for a moment before opening the browser. Tobias Eaton is visiting for a poster signing of his new movie, _Night Watchmen._ Secretly, I can't wait to see it. He's my favorite actor by far, and my biggest celebrity crush. Not that I share such things with the public.

The signing is tomorrow in his hotel lobby. I quickly search his hotel, and the times. To ensure a good place to shoot before the other reporters roll in I will have to get there several hours before the event starts. It starts at 7 in the morning. With a small groan, I close the computer lid and tuck it safely back under my bed. I venture back out, quietly so I don't alert Marlene or Uriah, and brush my teeth in our bathroom.

That night, I have no dreams, and the night drones on and on.

* * *

I wake to the annoying sound of my alarm chirping away. I click it off and slide out of bed. It is four in the morning, and I need to be fast. I take a shower in the dark, acting like it is a few extra minutes of sleep. Then I shut the water off and change into...well, my nicest work clothes. It may sound funny, but if I might be talking to Tobias freaking _Eaton _I want to look my best.

Marlene isn't even near awake yet when I slip out of the apartment and take the elevator down. It seems to move painstakingly slowly, and I tap my foot impatiently until the doors slide open. I hurry out and practically hog down the sidewalk to my building. Not many cars are out now, just a few. I am the only person I see walking on the sidewalk, besides a man in front of me wearing a dark jacket with the hood up.

I do what I always seem to; my eyes travel down their arm to their wrist, where the watch would be. It is a fitness watch, like the one Tobias Eaton had been wearing. The chances of this being him are so low I almost laugh at myself, but I still speed up my steps just a little bit, until I almost catch up with him. He must hear my footsteps because he turns around, and I feel my jaw literally drop.

Tobias Eaton stares back at me, and he has dark blue eyes that are suddenly meeting mine. I can't think or breathe. He quickly turns around and hurries on. I don't think; I just follow him. "You're Tobias Eaton," I say in a low voice. He glances around before settling me in a deep stare.

"Don't call attention to me." His voice, oh sweet lord. When he is addressing my directly. I take a deep breath in. I cannot stand here like an idiot. I have a job to do. But at the same time...if I am just a reporter, will he ever even talk to me anyway? He is infamous for never talking to the press unless he has to.

"I won't," I say, and he stops and turns to face me. He lifts one dark eyebrow like he doesn't believe me. "I'm serious. I won't." He sighs and turns into a coffee shop. I follow him in. For some reason, I am oddly calm for being this close to Tobias Eaton. The very person I think about all the time. He orders a coffee and I quickly grab a muffin. He sits in a two person booth, and I sit across from him.

"What do you want?" Tobias Eaton growls, glaring across the table at me. "An autograph? A picture with me?" He takes a sip of coffee before adding, "If I do one of those will you leave me alone?" It feels like a slap to the face. I feel my lips squeeze together in a straight line, my telltale sign of annoyance.

"No. I just want to sit and have a conversation with you, like normal people." It sounds so stupid, I wish I could take it back. After all, Tobias Eaton is not the kind of person you have a normal conversation with.

The corner of his mouth twitches, almost like he is suppressing a smile. "Well that's new." He takes a long sip of coffee and considers for a moment. "Though I don't think random strangers usually have conversations."

"Well we're having one, right now." I say, and cross my arms in front of me. He is so darn recognizable, from his gorgeous dark blue eyes to his perfectly dark chestnut hair, even the tiny bit of stubble on his chin. But I cannot keep looking at him like that or I am almost positive he will write me off as another crazed girl that wants to kiss him. Only one of those things is true.

This time, his lip curls slightly. "When I don't even know your name," he says, and lifts his eyebrow again. Gosh, even a simple movement like that looks good on him. _He has a girlfriend,_ I think sternly to myself. Not like he'd ever even think of a shapeless, unattractive, plain person like me in that way.

"Tris." I say, in a low voice. "Tris Prior."

**Hello all! I am maturebel. I appreciate that you have taken the time to read my story, hope you enjoyed! On a side note, I saw Insurgent at the premiere and it was absolutely amazing. What did you guys think of the movie?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Tobias POV**

The cameras click away as I sit in an uncomfortable plastic chair. The table in front of me is covered in a white cloth, and on top of that are movie posters. Hundreds of them. A hand slides down my arm. Shauna's.

She looks at me, and her eyes catch mine. She dressed up for the occasion, as only a model would, wearing a gold dress that hugs her body and stops just above her knee. With her, everything is organized and synchronized.

"Should we let them in?" One of the security guards who stands at me table leans in and asks. He is referring to the mostly female mob of screaming teens clutching pictures of me, movie posters, and sparkly phone cases. The only thing between me and them are the glass doors of the hotel lobby.

I shrug. "Sure." I expect the guard to turn to his co-workers, but instead he shuffles his feet and runs a hand over his mostly hairless head. He looks nervous as hell. I read his name tag, which is a dull bronze. _Ramsey._

Ramsey leans in so only I can hear him and mutters into my ear, "Look, uh, I have this daughter. She's pretty sick, and couldn't come today. So, uh..." He trails off and glances back again. "Could you sign a poster for her? She loves you. Her name's Kee."

I look at this guy, and imagine what a great dad he is. Surely better than mine was. I nod and write a quick note on one of the posters in silver pen. I hand it to Ramsey and he gives me a stiff but grateful nod. "Arright, let empty in!" he calls to the security at the doors. They swing open and the mob surges inside.

"Tobias!"

"Oh my freaking gosh, I am so in love with you!"

"You're hot!"

The screams reach my ears and I sigh as I sign posters. Shauna apparently feels the need to remind everyone of her presence, because every five minutes she stands and surveys the room before settling smugly back in her own seat. I sign poster after poster and feel the stares of thousands of...what do they call themselves?

Fangirls. Oh, that's it.

A few awful hours later, they have to drag the last hundred of people outside and shut the doors. Shauna takes the opportunity to wrap her hands around my neck and plant a long kiss on my cheek. Her trademark color of lipstick is a dark reddish, so I know it will leave a mark. She always does.

The security escort us back up to our room. When the door swings shut behind us, Shauna lets out a loud sigh and dramatically collapses onto our bed. We easily have the best hotel room in the building. A huge bedroom with a wall of windows. Two bathrooms. A kitchenette, not like we need it, a family room, and a dining room. Our own private hallway with a doorway. They call it their celebrity suite.

"Did you hear what I just said, baby?" Shauna says, snapping my attention back to her. She sits on the bed with her heels still on, her hair still falling in a perfect wave across one shoulder. She pouts out her bottom lip and whines.

I remind myself again that I will have to buy her some fancy gift while we're out tonight. She expects it. "No, I didn't."

Shauna sighs again, standing up and walking towards me at a slow pace. "I said, where are you taking me out tonight?" She reaches me and swings her arms around my neck. Her many bracelets catch on my skin, but I say nothing. "I hope it's somewhere nice. Romantic," she whispers in my ear.

"It will be, I promise." I pull back slightly and look at her flawless face. I can never tell if Shauna is wearing makeup or not. Whatever it is, her face is always beautiful enough to balance out her whiny personality.

Shauna smiles and presses her lips to mine. I wrap my arms around her waist and she slides her fingers up into my hair. The thing about Shauna is that she's a good kisser. Really good. I pull her closer and she pulls back teasingly. "Now now, baby," she sighs into my ear. "We have time for that later."

I shake my head as she walks away, into one of the bathrooms. A minute later I hear the shower turn on. No matter how high maintenance Shauna can be, I can't imagine myself with anyone else.

I turn to the window and stare down into the street below. I've never really liked big cities. They always seemed so busy, and the people that filled them selfish and arrogant. But even so, there has always been something endearing about Chicago. My mind somehow wanders to what happened this morning.

Now that girl, she was different from any fan I had ever met. She hadn't wanted a picture of me, or my autograph, or to call attention to me. She just wanted to talk. She just talked to me and I to her, and I remember what she ordered. A blueberry muffin. She didn't eat it, just took it with her to wherever she had to go.

I try to picture her in my mind, but all I remember was her eyes. They were a piercing blue, so striking. I also try to remember her name. Something Prior. Trisha? Tally? Trina? Something like that.

But for now, I need to get ready for dinner, and I can't afford to think so deeply about a single fan who I would most likely never see again. Best to just forget her and move on. I turn away from the window with the lingering memory of blue eyes in my mind.

* * *

**Tris POV**

I stand in front of my mirror wearing my nicest clothes. It just happens to be a simple black dress and flats, not heels. I try to do something with my hair, but it is too short. I just let it hang over my shoulders.

I have a company dinner tonight. We have it at the same place every year, an expensive restaurant called Felipe. They aren't my favorite, but Eric seems to love it there. That's why we go.

I grab my wallet and pull on a black jacket before leaving the apartment. Marlene is gone, and I'm not sure where. I'll text her later.

As soon as I'm on the street, I search for a cab. There aren't nearly enough of them here. I see one and wave at it. The sickeningly yellow car pulls to a stop in front of me and I climb into the back seat. "Can you take me to the Felipe?"

The cab driver, a middle aged man, turns around and looks at me. "Alright, miss," he says, and pulls off down the road. At one point I would have enjoyed the scenery out the window, but instead I savor the peace before I have to sit next to Eric while I eat. He is the last person I want to have dinner with.

The ride is over too soon, and my money falls into the drivers hand. Felipe stands in front of me, and I walk in through the clean glass doors. The desk in the front has a perky looking brunette sitting behind it, who smiles at me when I approach the stand. "Hi, welcome to Felipe! Do you have a reservation?"

"I'm with..." I start, but a heavy hand lands on my shoulder. I twist my head and find myself looking into Eric's beady eyes.

"She's with us," he says, and the girl smiles a little before turning to the next customers. Eric leads me to the table and my "seat of honor" which has the misfortune of being to the right of his. The only perk is the fact that Christina sits next to me as well.

She hugs me when I sit down, and hands me a glass of wine. I take it gratefully. Just when we're about to order, there's a squeal as a microphone is hooked up somewhere. I scan the room with my eyes a few times before finding a dorky looking waiter holding a microphone and grinning like a doofus.

"We have special guests this evening!" His voice is unnaturally high pitched, and extremely excited. "May I present Mr. Tobias Eaton and the beautiful Shauna!"

I feel myself go slack, the way I always do in a state of surprise. A round of applause springs up from around the room. I feel Eric staring at me, and turn to look at him. There's a gleam in his eye. "Wait for the other stations to see that we dined with him," he says with a smug smirk.

I quickly decide not to remind Eric that we are not dining with him.

"I have to go...freshen up," I say, and hurry away from the table. I know where the women's bathroom is in here, but I waste a few minutes looking around. Any time away from Eric is time well spent.

"You," says a voice. A hauntingly familiar voice. A deep, masculine voice. A Tobias Eaton voice. I turn around.

"You," I say back, stupidly. It is a surprise he even remembers me, from our five minute conversation. I lean back against the wall and cross my arms over my chest. Suddenly I am glad that I came down this particular hallway, where Eric can't see me.

Tobias Eaton mirrors me, leaning back on his wall. "Didn't think I'd see you again, uh...Trina?" It feels like a slap to the face. _Why did I expect him to remember my name, anyway? I'm just some stupid fan._

"Tris, actually."

"Ah."

The silence between us grows, and I am about to speak when he does. "Do you always go there? To that cafe?"

Why does he want to know? "Uh...I go there sometimes," I say. "They have good muffins."

He nods, and I shift my shoulders uncomfortably. This whole thing is so strange. "Well, I suppose I'll see you there tomorrow morning, then." Tobias Eaton walks away, and turns the corner. I watch his shoe disappear, and then I am really alone.

Did Tobias Eaton just tell me he would _meet me _somewhere? No. Of course not. He couldn't have.

But he did.

**Hello, all. Hope y'all enjoyed the second chapter of Protection Protocol! Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it. So, just a question you guys totally don't have to answer: does a blueberry muffin sound right in this story? They're my favorite, so I put them in here. I don't know. Hmm...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Tris POV**

That morning, I am in a rush. I quickly smooth on a pair of black work pants and a pale blue blouse, one of my favorite work outfits. I even brush on a bit of makeup, which for the most part sits in the bathroom collecting dust.

Marlene was here when I got back last night, and she's asleep on the couch while I creep past to leave. The television's volume is turned way down, but the pictures show makeup clad preteens and ferociously sassy looking parents that are all too familiar with plastic surgery. It has to be _Dance Moms, _Marlene's favorite show.

The door shuts behind me, and I pull my black jacket tight around my shoulders. The sky is the most beautiful dark blue, an inky color that spreads until the slightly lighter shade of sky above the city. I hurry down the sidewalk. Tobias Eaton. I will see him soon.

If he even remembered to come.

I stop in my tracks and lean against the cold brick wall. "Stupid," I sigh into the wind. Here I am, getting my hopes up so high, when I doubt Tobias Eaton even bothered to remember our morning meeting. He is a celebrity. I am just a reporter. A young reporter just starting out, a stupid young fan wishing to meet her favorite celebrity.

"Stupid, stupid." I wipe my palm over my forehead, then lower my hands to see my dark blue, almost black nail polish. In the darkness it looks very black. Marlene always insists I paint my nails with her on Tuesday nights. I run a finger over one of the smooth surfaces.

Even if he did forget, I can tell this is going to bother me all day. I sigh again and push myself away from the wall. What am I doing, anyway, up and about in the early morning when I could be asleep?

I remember when I was turning seven, my brother would tell me he was getting me a "big big surprise!" for my birthday present. All month I anticipated what he would buy, and my hopes got higher and higher. When my birthday finally came, he handed me a homemade card and a new jumprope. I remember, also, the crushing disappointment I had felt. Ever since then I had vowed to never raise my hopes again. Hope for the worst, no matter how awful it sounded.

I turn around and walk down the sidewalk towards my apartment. Going by my rules, here's how the morning would play out if I had continued to the coffee shop.

I would arrive. Tobias Eaton would not be there, so I would order my muffin and a coffee and sit down at the counter by the window. I would finish the muffin and coffee and get a drink refill. Two hours later, I would be humiliated and disappointed, just like I was when I turned seven.

I frown bitterly and unlock the door to the apartment. Marlene is still asleep on the couch. I shake her awake and she groans at me. "Tris, it's like, 0 in the morning!"

"Really, Mar? '0 in the morning?'"

She throws a pillow at me, which I dodge. "Shut up." She sits up and curls her legs up under her blanket. "What do you want, anyways?"

"I want to watch reality TV shows with you at 0 in the morning."

It's at this part when Marlene perks up. "Ooh, good idea Tris!" She grabs the remote and turns up the volume. We sit together on the couch and watch it for several hours. All I can glean from the show is how weird it is to me. Marlene is giggling almost the whole time.

I finally have to leave, and Marlene waves at me from the couch, still watching the glowing screen. The door shuts behind me, and I walk down the street. Eric has a meeting with us today, and I have a safe bet it has a lot to do with Tobias Eaton.

I feel my footsteps moving faster, for some reason. Soon I am jogging, and it feels good. How long has it been since I have run anywhere, done anything just for the pleasure of it? Too long. Far too long.

I reach the building and open the doors casually. After an all too short elevator ride, the thick doors open to reveal a pacing Eric outside of the third floor meeting room. When Eric sees me, his thin lips curl into a creepy looking smile. I walk into the meeting room. I'm the first one there. Eric follows me in and shuts the door.

"I thought more people were coming," I say, looking at the closed doors. Eric sits down across the table from my and folds his hands on the tabletop.

"Not yet, Tris. I just want to talk with you for the moment." He looks at me, and I lean back in my chair.

"Why?"

"Because I have a job for you to do." Eric adjusts his watch. "I want you to follow Tobias Eaton. But not as a reporter. I want you be sly. Don't let him know."

I am silent. "So...you want me to gain information on him?"

Eric nods. "Yes." The elevator door let's out a high ping, and Christina steps out.

"You're dismissed."

* * *

**Tobias POV**

I sat in the same seat in the coffee shop as I did yesterday, the day Tris Prior had sat in the seat next to me. She would have been here ten minutes ago. Though it is possible to run late. I take another sip of my coffee. I like my coffee black.

It had been a hard morning. Shauna had barely let me go without her, so I had to tell her I was going for a run. If there's one thing she hated, it was exercise.

I watch the street. A few people walk by, but none of the are the person I hope to meet again. All I have, I realize, is her name and the coffee place she likes to go to. If I had her number, or something, I could text her.

_Stop it,_ I tell myself. She would most likely be creeped out if I texted her, and then the press would get news of it, and she would be blasted into the limelight. Somehow, I feel like she is not the kind of person who wants to be famous. She seems like the kind of person who wants to blend in. I respect that.

The time ticks by. I get another coffee, then another. She should have been here two hours ago. Finally, when the sun begins to rise slowly over the buildings, I get up. There is no way she is coming. Maybe she slept in.

I pay the old guy at the cashier, who grumbles at me. If he knew who I was, I wonder if he would. Probably not. Still, I feel my mouth twitch into a smile. It is nice to be treated normally.

The streets are full of people now. I hurry through the crowd, pulling my hood over my face. Then I see her. Tris Prior.

She is hurrying along down the street, disappearing behind people and reappearing in front of others. The wind sweeps her hair around her shoulders. She wears a pale blue blouse.

I decide not to talk to her. Instead, I watch her enter a tall office building. Why didn't she come to the coffee shop? There's only two reasons possible. She forgot.

Or. Or she didn't want to come.

I lean back against the wall, ignoring a young girl who snaps, "Excuse you!" at me. Why would she not want to come? It makes no sense. After all, she had wanted to talk to me yesterday.

I sigh and check my phone. No less than thirty texts from Shauna. I groan and begin to read through them.

_Babe, are you done yet?_

_Where are you, babe?_

_I need you!_

_Get home or else!_

_I would break up with you if you weren't Tobias Eaton! _

I slide my phone into my pocket without returning a single one of her texts. Shauna is beautiful, but sometimes I wonder if we're actually compatible. If we're just playing at dating, and there's nothing real between us.

I look up again, and see Tris Prior leave the building. She looks worried and rushed. I watch her quickly hurry through the crowd and immediately decide to follow her. Soon, she arrives at a business along the street and goes inside. The coffee shop.

I walk into the shop after her. She doesn't notice. Instead, she walks up to the counter and taps her fingers against the dark brown linoleum. "Um..." she says, nervous. I see her bite her lip.

"Why didn't you show?" The words spill from my mouth against my will, and she turns to face me. Her blue eyes widen and her mouth falls slightly open in shock.

"I..." She crosses her arms and shuts her mouth. There is something defiant about the way she sets her jaw. "Well, I forgot."

It feels like a slap to the face. She forgot. Of course she did. She seems like a busy person, and we've only met twice, _briefly, _and she has a life. Of course she forgot.

"So...why not make up for it now?" The corner of her mouth twitches slightly up, and a slightly lopsided grin takes over the bottom half of her face. I feel myself grinning too when I respond.

"Sounds good to me."

**So...that's this chapter. I don't really have much to say. I just felt like writing over my Spring Break, but for the most part I was outside. I went somewhere warm (76° and up every day!) and wasn't thinking much about writing. So, hope you enjoyed this one, and thanks for all the love and support!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Tris POV**

The wind blows my dull blond hair over my shoulder as I stand against the wall outside of the cafe. Tobias Eaton left several minutes ago, probably going to see Shauna. He told me he decided to extend his stay in Chicago for a few more weeks, and I can't say I'm about to complain. My phone buzzes and I pull it out of my pocket. It's Eric.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Prior." His voice is deadly sweet. "What have you gotten on Tobias Eaton so far?"

I resist the urge to groan, or sigh. "You assigned this to me two hours ago."

I hear the faint sound of him yelling through the phone, and the undeniable sound of papers getting scattered. Then he talks to me again. "Good, glad to hear it's going well. No, you idiot, Cara! I said -" The phone clicks as he hangs up.

I walk down the street towards my apartment, weighing my phone in my palm. In there, deep in these files, is a contact that belongs to Tobias Eaton. I know Marlene would be ecstatic if she were in my place. Instead, a strange sense of calm spreads over my giddiness. Then someone clamps their hand over my mouth.

I stumble backwards, but whoever is holding their palm over my mouth doesn't let me get far. A second hand grabs my shoulder, and I try to scream into the hand. No sound escapes. Instead, I throw an arm back and smack whoever holds me, hard. They instantly release me and start laughing playfully. It's a familiar laugh.

I jump forward and throw my arms around my so-called attacker. "Caleb!" I say into his ear. He smells fresh, a smell that calms me. "What's with the hand-over-mouth thing?"

He flashes a winning smile at me. "Just wanted to surprise you."

It's clear who got the good looks in our family. Caleb has large, green eyes fringed with dark eyelashes and dark brown hair that flaps down over his ears. He's taller than me by several inches, and wears a dark blue sweater today.

I flick met eyes back up and meet his gaze and smile. "So, do you have a hotel, or do you want to stay with me and Mar? I mean, if you want to stay with us, it's totally fine, there's just not much space..." I trail off as he starts to laugh again.

"It's fine, B. I have a hotel room." He scuffs his feet and scratches the back of his neck, which happen to be two of the things I do when I'm nervous. "I want to introduce you to someone, actually."

I cross my arms. "Don't tell me you got a secret girlfriend and didn't tell me."

He cracks a tiny smile at me.

"Caleb!"

He lifts his hands out in front of him, a defensive pose. "Okay, okay, interrogation over. Yes, I have a girlfriend. You remember Susan?"

It takes me a minute to connect the name to an image. Susan Black was our neighbor when we were kids, back when I lived in the suburbs. She's a nice, quiet person with blond hair and brown eyes. Pretty. I grin at him. "Yeah, I remember her."

We stand there for a minute in silence before he speaks again. "So, when do you want to see her?"

I think about it for a moment. "How about dinner tonight at 7?"

Caleb nods. "Yeah, I'll text you later. Let you know where." He flashes me another one of his smiles and waves as he leaves. I watch him turn a corner, and then my brother's gone.

I smile and slip my phone into my pocket. I quickly make my way to the apartment and burst inside. Marlene practically jumps off the couch.

"Tris! You look happy. It's creeping me out." She hugs a throw pillow on her lap and sends me a lopsided smile.

"Caleb's in town," I explain, sitting down next to her on the couch. I grab a pillow too, and she makes a face at me.

"Ooh, the sexy brother." She wriggles her eyebrows at me and stretches her arms above her head. "When can I see him?"

I throw my pillow at her. "Marlene. Uriah."

"I know, I know!" she sighs. "Take a joke for, like, one second, okay?"

I groan at her and stand up. "Well, I have to get ready. We're having dinner tonight. I get to meet Caleb's new girlfriend."

Marlene shoots off the couch. "Wait, he has a girlfriend?" She tosses a glossy lock of dark hair over her shoulder. "Can I come?"

My phone dings and I look at it. A text from Caleb.

_The Herald 7?_

I quickly respond.

_ok if mar comes?_

_ya sure_

"You can come," I tell her. Mar squeals and hugs me.

"Okay, Tris. Where?" I hand her my phone and she quickly scans the texts. "The Herald! Oh, I love that place! We have to get ready."

"I am ready."

Mar groans so loud it vibrates in my bones. "No, sweetie." She quickly looks me over and shakes her head. "Those are work clothes."

I punch her shoulder. "What's wrong with work clothes?"

"You're not at work, duh." She grabs my arm and drags me away to our shared closet, despite my many protests. The only nice dress I have I wore to Felipe, so I have to borrow from Mar.

Twenty minutes later I stand in front of her mirror wearing a light gray dress with a scoop neck and half sleeves that gathers at the waist before falling into a skirt that stops a few inches above my knees. Marlene dabs makeup on my face. "Good, huh? Right?"

I meet my own eyes in the mirror and crack a small smile. "Yeah. I like it."

**Tobias POV**

Shauna sits, her large lips set in a pout, when I enter our hotel room. She crosses her arms and stands when she sees me.

"Babe," she says, obviously annoyed. "Where the hell have you been? I've been texting you, okay? You need to text me back!"

I run a hand through my short dark hair. "Sorry. My phone died. I forgot to charge it last night."

This, at least, seems to calm her. The last thing she needs to know is that I spent the last few hours talking to Tris Prior. Shauna gets jealous far too easily for someone dating a celebrity.

She walks up to me and throws her arms around my neck. I watch her large eyes as she leans in and presses her mouth to mine. I feel my hands slide to her waist, and she pulls slightly back.

"I'm still mad at you," she says, but giggles a little as she says it. I slide my hand up into her hair. She grins at me and closes her eyes. "But I _can _forgive you." I frown and pull out of her embrace. I'd forgotten about her pushy texts, and here she is acting like she is my manager.

"Babe," she complains, pouting out her lips again.

"I'm going out," I tell her, and turn away. I already have a foot out the door.

"But..._babe! _You can't just walk out on me again!" Shauna yells behind me. The door clicks shut and I feel some of the building pressure in my chest release.

I swipe a hand over my lips, knowing full well there will be rresidue of Shauna's lipstick. Sure enough, when I look at my hand, there's a dark red smear across my hand.

I step into the elevator and hit the button for the lobby. Then I pull my phone out from my pocket and click to my contacts, my fingertips hovering over the one that belongs to Tris Prior. I tap it and the number comes up.

I sigh and hit my home button. There's no way she could be free to randomly meet me up somewhere right now. She's busy.

The elevator doors open with a light ping, and I step out into the lobby. There are signs outside directing towards places. Gift shop, restaurant, lounge. I follow the signs to the lounge, which turns out to be an empty room with a fireplace and large chairs. I sit in one and pull my phone back out.

I open the internet and search _Tris Prior._ First, a few pictures of people I don't know. A Caleb Prior. As I scroll, my finger accidentally clicks Caleb Prior. His page opens up, and I squint at it.

There, in his profile picture, is a picture of a handsome, tall twenty some year old and a very familiar face. He has his arm draped casually over her shoulder, and they're both dripping wet. She's smiling, a genuine one. I feel a faint smile curl my lip.

Tris Prior is in a few of his photos, but for the most part, they feature another blond girl who seems to be kissing him in most of the photos. This must be Tris's brother. For some reason, it makes me feel like I know her better.

I spend a few minutes scrolling through his photos, until one from a few years ago comes up. It's a picture of Tris, wearing dark denim pants and a plain black t-shirt, laughing. It's one of those pictures someone takes when they're not looking at the camera. She's laughing at whoever stands just out of the photo. I read the caption.

_Happy Birthday, B! _

I feel a real smile now, and save the photo to my phone. She smiles up from the screen, her piercing eyes narrowed as she laughs.

I save it as her contact picture and slide my phone back into my pocket. A waitress comes up to me holding a menu. "Hi, can I -" she stops talking and her mouth falls open. "Oh my gosh! You're Tobias Eaton!" She's tall, maybe a bit shorter than me, with dark brown hair that hangs in shiny waves over her shoulders. Her eyes are wide and brown. Her skin is a light brown.

"Yes, I am." I say. The girl seems flustered, nervously smoothing down her hair and smiling widely.

"So...uh...do you want to see the drink menu, or the food menu, or...I don't know, can I get you anything?" She stumbles over her words. I never understand why people feel so indebted to me. I haven't done much. I read her nametag. Nita.

"I'll have a scotch," I tell her. She bobs her head quickly and scurries off. I smile again. It is funny to see how people are so excited to see me, when in reality, I am just an actor. And beyond that, just another person.

A few minutes later, Nita comes back with a scotch. She hands it to me with a wide smile. "Here you go. Um, mind if I sit?" She points at the chair across from mine.

"Sure." I nod, and she sits in the seat, obviously pleased.

She smiles widely and begins to talk. "So...I'm Nita. I work here. So tell me," she cocks her head. "What's your new movie like?"

**New chapter. Yay. Sorry, I had a pretty low muse for this one, so it's not my best. Anyway, thanks for all the love and support, and until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Tris POV**

Eric called this morning to let me off of other duties while I get information on Tobias Eaton, so I decided there was no longer need for work clothes. Instead, I stand in the lobby of his hotel wearing dark jeans with a cream sweater, a perfect outfit for the colder weather outside. I also texted Tobias Eaton to let him know I was coming.

I sit in one of the lobby chairs, which happens to be a big armchair, where I can watch the elevators. One of my feet taps nervously on the polished tile floor. Soon I will see Tobias Eaton again, and I will have to do my job. Like about being a reporter. There's pressure building in my chest. I take a deep breath in.

The elevator opens and Tobias Eaton and Shauna step out. He, too, is dressed casual, unlike Shauna. She wears a gold cocktail dress with high, strappy heels.

I breathe out, and the pressure remains.

Tobias Eaton doesn't see me, or if he does, he ignores me. He leans into Shauna's hair and says something into her ear. She lets out a squeal and smacks his shoulder before leaving the hotel. Then he turns back around and those gorgeous blue eyes land on me.

"Hi," I say. He's wearing a casual, short sleeve black button up and jeans. I notice, again, his fitness watch and find myself staring at it.

"Hi." I look up at his face again, still in disbelief that I am standing close to him, to _the _Tobias Eaton. I smile up at him.

"Why the fitness watch?" I blurt out.

The question must surprise him at least a little, because he pauses before answering. "I like to keep track of my steps. See how many I've done. It's the only thing I do that isn't swarmed by the media." He smiles with the corner of his mouth. "Why do you want to know?"

I feel my cheeks warm. "Oh. My dad collected watches, so I know about them some. Just wanted to know why you were wearing . . . or not wearing a fancier watch."

This time he smiles for real. "Tell me about watches."

"What?"

"You know. How they work."

I take a deep breath in and try to recall my knowledge from the time I spent sitting in the basement with my dad, holding his tray of watch pieces. While I sat there, he told me about how they worked.

"So...first you've got mechanical watches. They're driven by springs. They send their force through the gears to the balance wheel, which is an oscillating wheel that is in constant motion." I pause. "Do you actually want to know?"

Tobias Eaton grins and says, "I like watching you talk." I turn my head away so he can't see me blush.

He stops walking, so I do too. "Hey, my premiere is coming up. Want to come?" He says it plainly, as casually as if he were asking me to lunch.

I feel my mouth fall open and quickly snap my jaw shut. "I..." _am out of words._ "You...you can't invite someone like me." The words flood out of my mouth.

"Sure I can. I'm Tobias Eaton." He laughs a little. I crack a smile.

"Right. I keep forgetting." We start walking again. "But...how can I be there? I mean, I have nothing to wear, and I'm not famous, and..." I trail off when he starts laughing.

He has a knowing smile on his face. "Shauna's closet is big enough she won't miss one dress from it. And, I don't care if you're not famous. I want you there." His smile disappears and a more serious look replaces it. No, not serious - pleading.

My heart almost explodes. Tobias Eaton wants me at his premiere. "Um. I don't know what to say." I grin crazily.

"Say you'll be there." Tobias Eaton stops walking again, and I find myself looking directly into his eyes.

I try to hide my warm cheeks by covering my mouth with my hand. It comes out muffled, but I say it. "I'll be there."

* * *

Marlene is jumpy when I walk in. She looks nervous. I sit next to her on the couch, and she twitches uncomfortably.

"So, uh, Tris." She grins nervously and taps her fingers against her legs. "I have two pieces of news."

"Pieces of news, Mar? Really?" I sigh, but wait for her to spill it.

She taps her fingers even more rapidly and takes a deep breath in. "You're going to have to find a new roommate," she says, "because I'm pregnant with Uriah's baby and I'm moving in with him."

At first all I can register is shock. Then I feel myself calm, and happiness replaces it. I hug her tight. "Mar, that's great! I'm so happy for you!"

"You're not mad?" she mumbles into my hair.

"Of course not." I pull back and smile at her. "Does Uriah know yet?"

"No." Marlene grins anxiously. "But I think he'll be happy."

Even if I have to find a new roommate, and my whole normal life is in question, I feel calm. I have people there that will stick with me, whatever the hell happens.

* * *

**Tobias POV**

I tap my phone against my leg, staring at the dark screen. I asked Tris to come to my premiere today. It had been on my mind for a while now, and I would have gone insane if I hadn't asked her. And now I had.

"Want a refill?" The waitress - Nita, I think her name is - comes over to me with a huge grin. She wears a tight shirt and a short skirt. Something about her reminds me of Shauna.

"Sure." I hand her my glass, and she walks away again. I watch my phone again, wondering what Shauna is doing. I haven't told her I've been spending time in the hotel lounge. If I do, she will insist on having press here and blow up everything into something larger. It is the kind of thing she would do.

The television clicks on above the fireplace, and I glance across the room. Nita smiles sweetly and leaves to get my drink. I watch the screen. The news is on, and there's a picture of me on the screen.

"Tobias Eaton is staying in Chicago longer than expected," the news reporter says. He's a man with smile lines and dark eyes.

I can't get away from it, even now. Part of me wishes I had never gone into the audition when I was thirteen, never wanted the fame. But the other part of me yearns for the popularity. It's too late to go back. Nita hands me the glass and I down it quickly. The spirits burn in my throat, but it is a good kind of pain. She grins at me and rests her head on her hand.

"Can I get the whole bottle?" I ask. Nita nods and runs off again. It is what I want. To forget, even when it is just temporary. I don't care about the pounding headache that will come. I want to forget. I need to.

Nita slides the cool glass bottle into my hand. I unscrew the cap and pour some of teachers contents into my mouth. Already, my thoughts are fuzzier. I am aware of Nita, sitting there next to me. Not Shauna. Not controlling, bratty, annoyingly gorgeous Shauna.

She smiles at me, and I realize my life is a series of patterns. I act, I make the money I no longer need, I kiss Shauna, I act. It is a repeating pattern, and I can't escape it. But I can.

"Sit here," I say to Nita, and scoot over in my chair, leaving a little space for her to sit. She quickly takes the place and wraps her arm around my shoulders. I can break the pattern. I have to believe it.

Nita grins at me. "Tobias Eaton, I think you have a girlfriend." She leans in so her lips brush my ear when she talks. "Don't you?"

"Yeah," I say. "A shitty one." Nita laughs into my ear and I tough her shoulder. She pulls her head away slightly and looks into my eyes.

"So what are you doing?" Nita lifts an eyebrow, and it feels like a challenge.

"This." I kiss her, like I used to kiss Shauna back when she wasn't popular. I remember her. I'd been visiting a fashion magazine, and she'd been there. Working there. Young and innocent with big eyes staring out at me from behind glasses. From the moment I'd started dating her, she kept changing. Changing for me, never good enough for her own standards.

I hate it.

Nita giggles into my mouth. I am very aware that anyone could walk on right now and the news would spread, but I'm done with it right now.

"You're a good kisser," I tell her. She pulls back, but our noses still touch.

"I know." Nita lifts her hands and fingers my hair. I grin at her. Nita smiles back and stands up.

"Where are you going?" My voice sounds slurred. I want her to stay here, right where she was. It was nice.

"You can have more when you're sober." Nita prances away with the bottle I was drinking from. I shake my head and stand up. The room spins around me. I give up and sink back down into the chair.

I pull my phone out and open up my texts. Before I know it, the conversation with Tris is up. I haven't tested her much. Just a few times. But my fingers move, and then the text is sent. I don't even know what it says until I look at it.

_You look good, Tris._

**I haven't updated in forever, and I'm sorry. This chapter is also a bit shorter than the others because I was weirdly uninspired while writing this one. Hopefully the next one will come out ****faster. Anyway, enjoy.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Tris POV**

Christina heaves a heavy cardboard box onto the floor and wipes her hairline with the back of her hand. She grins at me. In the past week, my apartment has been a hectic mess, with Marlene moving our and Christina moving in. And I still have to pick out a dress for Tobias's movie premiere. Oh, right. And get information on him for an inside scoop.

"Last one," she huffs proudly. I grin at her. She wears her favorite pair of black sweatpants and an overlarge sweater in dark blue. The ensemble would look awful on me, but with her tall frame she looks movie-ready.

"We should celebrate with some drinks," I recommend. Christina nods gratefully as I pull a bottle of red wine out of a cabinet along with two glasses. After pouring the deep burgundy substance into each glass, we each take a sip. The bitter yet satisfying taste calms me.

We end up sitting on the floor with our backs against the boxes, sipping at our wine, when my phone starts to ring. I glance at the small screen laying next to me on the floor and nearly spill my wine. _Tobias Eaton!_

"I...I have to get this," I stammer at her. She nods and I quickly flee the room. I end up outside the front door, crouched on the floor. I hold the phone up to my ear and bite my bottom lip.

"Hello?" I say into the phone. The other line is quiet.

"Did you get my text?" It's Tobias's voice, but it doesn't sound like in somehow. His words are slurred together. A conclusion rises in my mind; he's drunk.

I choose my words carefully. "No, not yet. Why did you call? Just to ask me?" I allow a bit of a jokey tone to enter my voice.

Tobias laughs into the other line. "Partly. I also just wanted to...hear your voice." He's silent for a moment, and so am I. "Can you come over?"

"Right now?" I squeak into the phone. He's not thinking straight. Maybe.

"Yeah," Tobias says into the phone. Even fuzzy and slurred, his voice sends shivers down my spine.

"Uh, I think so." I smile into my phone and rock on my heels a little. He wants to see me.

"See you soon. I'm in the lounge." The phone clicks and the line goes dead. I close my phone and grin into the darkness. The door opens and Christina looks suspiciously down at me.

"Why are you on the ground?" she demands, crossing her arms. "Who were you talking to?"

I want to tell her. Tell someone. Maybe I should tell her. "Christina, if I tell you do you swear to your family's life you won't tell anybody?"

"Except for my potted plant?"

"Christina!"

She lifts her hands, eyes widening. "Fine, fine, yes! I promise!"

I take a deep breath. "I was talking to Tobias Eaton and now I am going to go over to his hotel and see him."

Christina's mouth drops open. Then she narrows her eyes. "You're not on drugs? Say it again, inside."

I almost laugh. "Of course I'm not on drugs." I step inside, into the light, and look her straight in the eye. "I was talking to Tobias Eaton. And I am going over to his hotel right now to see him."

She throws her arms around me and laughs in my ear. "Holy shit, Tris! I know when you're lying and this is the truth right here!" Christina takes a deep gulp of air and keeps talking, fast and loud. "What are you wearing? Not that, of course! I'll help you pick an outfit! Come on!" After the avalanche of words, she grabs my hand and nearly tugs my arm out of my socket going to my closet.

"How about this?" I hold up one of my few dresses, a pretty but unspectacular piece; dark blue with a scoop neck and a low back that ends just above my knee.

Christina groans at me. "Honey. No. This is _Tobias freakin' Eaton!" _She digs into my closet, mumbling under her breath. She emerges again with a wide, toothy grin.

She holds up a black skirt and a pretty gray top and says, "I recommend this. Because I'm an expert, obviously." I examine the outfit. I would never put it together myself, but she's right, it's pretty. I quickly slip the garments on and step in front of the mirror while Christina fusses on my face, brushing on mascara and eyeliner and a hint of lip color. After pulling my hair from its stubby ponytail, she steps back.

"Yes." She grins at our reflections. "Go get him, tiger."

"Tiger? Really?" I groan, feeling my cheeks warm considerably.

Either way, Christina sends me out the door and I take out my CTA pass card and decide to take the L. After getting on the train, I smooth my palms over the skirt, examining my reflection in the opposite window to my seat.

There are only four other people on the train; a surly looking man frowning at his phone; two teenage girls with matching shirts taking pictures of themselves; a man around fifty with a tattoo on his neck.

I twist my hands nervously in my lap and don't notice that the man has sat next to me on the bus. He smiles at me, and I see that his teeth are crooked, and one is missing. "Well, what pretty eyes you have."

I scoot away to the next seat. "Leave me alone." The man creeps me out. Instead of listening to me, he switches to the seat I was sitting in, trapping me between him and the wall.

"You look a bit young to be out by yourself." His hand closes around my wrist. I try to pull my arm away, but his hand is like a vice.

"Let go of me." My voice sounds cold.

His grin widens as he looks at me. "Well, well, well. Looks like we have a fighter. Huh?"

I see the map on the upper stripe of the train. It's my stop. "I need to get off." I snap at him.

The man releases my wrist, scans me again, and says, "See you again, little girl."

I shiver as I climb off the train. Tobias's hotel is just a little bit away. After a few minutes of walking, I am through the front doors. It dawns on me that I haven't checked the text message he sent. I quickly open my phone, and sure enough, there's a text from him fresh on the screen.

_You look good, Tris._

Holy shit.

* * *

**Tobias POV**

She walks in, wearing this skirt that shows her legs. I grin at her and wave her over with the hand not occupied by my bottle.

Tris sits in the chair across from me, her cheeks slightly flushed. I just stare at her for a few moments, taking in how close she is. If I reached out my hand, I could touch her knee.

"You're late," I say. I lift the bottle to my lips and take another swig.

"Sorry," she says. She sounds flustered or something. I offer her the bottle and she shakes her head. I pull it back into my lap.

"C'mon," I say to her, setting my bottle down. I stand and lead her out of the lounge and into the elevator. I swipe my card and jam my finger in the correct button of my floor number.

She twists her fingers in front of her. "Isn't Shauna up there?"

"Nah," I say, smiling at her. Those wide, clear, blue eyes that hold my gaze. She looks wary. Of what? Me?

We step out of the elevator and I take her into my room. Her eyes widen as she takes in the huge space, seeing what being rich can get you. I walk her over to Shauna's closet. "You got that dress yet?" I ask her. She shakes her head. I unlock the door and push it open.

"Wow," she says in a breathy voice. She walks in a few feet before looking back at me. "You sure I can borrow one of these?"

"Yeah," I say, grinning at her. I walk in too, scanning the garments with her. She runs her hands over the different dresses, her face shining with disbelief.

"How about this one?" I pull a black dress off its hanger and hold it out to her. I've never seen Shauna wear it, so she won't miss it. It's a shorter dress made of some sort of shiny fabric and lace inputs.

Her cheeks flush a deep shade of scarlet. "Can I try it on?"

I nod. "The bathroom's to the left." She hurries away with the dress. I lean against the wall in the closet and imagine her in the dress. My fuzzy mind can't conjure up a picture.

After what could have been seconds or hours, she steps back into the closet. And all I can think is _damn._ The dress fits her so well, and she looks so good in it. Falling to above her knee, shiny black, lace covering her back and parts of her sleeves. Beautiful. More so than Shauna.

I step slowly forward towards her. "You look so good right now," I tell her. She looks at her feet like she's embarrassed. She shouldn't be, not when she looks like that.

"Hey," I say, putting my hand on her cheek. She stares up at me, her eyes wider than I've ever seen them. "You don't have to be embarrassed."

She stammers, "Tobias, I - I don't know, I never really, uh..." I stop her by wrapping my other hand around her back, my fingers brushing over skin and lace, and pulling her face to mine. It hovers just beyond mine, our noses touching.

"I'm going to kiss you," I whisper to her.

She swallows, her eyes meeting mine. "Okay."

And I stay true to my word. I pull her mouth to mine and hold it there. And it is the best feeling I have ever had. It is addictive. I never want to let go of her. I want to hold her here forever, safe in my arms. My mind isn't fuzzy anymore. Everything is clear as day.

I think I might love her.

**Hey everyone! Yay a new chapter! Okay, so yes, I made this chapter move fast. See if you can find the character from Divergent I worked into this chapter, just because I felt like it...and hope y'all like the fluff that just went down. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll update soon. Thanks for all the love and support!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Tris POV**

The next morning is rainy and cold. I sit in my apartment, next to the window, a book sitting in front of me. It remains untouched. There are other things on my mind.

Tobias. His face, his alcohol breath. He was surely drunk, and I was stupid to follow him around like that. I should have left. I would place a bet that he doesn't remember the events of last night. I stand and shuffle into my closet, flicking on the light. There it is.

The dress he gave me hangs in the back of the closet, in between two unspectacular dresses that look like rags next to the beautiful garment. I reach out a hand and touch it, as if to test if it is real. The fabric bends around my fingers and slides softly over my skin.

His premiere is soon. I suspect it will be awkward for me at best, if not awful. But if he wants me to be there I will be.

I get the sudden urge to get up and do something. Anything. I quickly throw on a pair of jeans and a cream colored t-shirt with a white lotus on the front. Simple. Plain. The way I dress is not attention grabbing, and I am fine with it.

After slipping on a pair of gray sneakers, I leave the apartment and walk down the sidewalk. The city is wet and shiny this morning. Water spatters unevenly over my bare arms. I don't care if I get wet. Not today.

The rain starts beating down, harder and harder, so I duck inside the nearest shop to avoid getting completely and fully soaked. I turn around and find myself in a small shop filled with clothes. I browse, waiting for the rain to let up a bit, trying to look interested in tank tops and beach shorts. None of the things in the store are close to something I can see myself wearing.

Suddenly my fingers brush across a top. It's a black t-shirt with a flame on it, encircled by a ring of copper. I take it off the shelf and decide, on a whim, that it's mine. I pay for it, and then brave the rain again.

I'm soaked in seconds. Well, I know a place I can go now, where no one else will be when it is so rainy. Well...less people than normal. I walk down the street and find a taxi. Some people think only tourists take taxis, but Chicagoans take them too.

The driver drops me off at Navy Pier. I haven't been here since I was a kid. This, however, is definitely for tourists. I may be the only local here. But if there's a place I need to sort out my thoughts at, a place of happy childhood memories is always a good idea.

Despite the rain, groups of poncho covered kids and teens swarm the food court and spread out as far as the eye can see. I find a wet bench and sit down, staring out over the gray lake.

Tobias Eaton. He is in my thoughts and my mind. But it would be best for me to stop seeing him - the logical part of my brain is telling me this. But the other part, the portion that strives for close human relationship, tells me to keep him close while he's here. Life is confusing. It hurts sometimes, but you usually heal.

As the rain gets worse, I stay seated, soaked and alone. Maybe a reason I came here is to not run into anyone I know. Perhaps I should come here more often.

Tobias Eaton. Tobias Eaton. He is what I think about, who I need a story on for my job. Eric has been checking in on me incessantly. I have to keep telling him I'm getting closer. But how can I have a story? How can expose the friendship that means so much to me?

I set my forehead in my hands and stare through my fingers at the pier floor. I need someone who always comforts me. Who would that even be? I don't exactly have many friends. Caleb is off with Susan. I'm alone for now.

"Why are you sitting in the rain?" An accusatory, high pitched voice sounds from in front of me. A young girl, around six, stands at my feet, rain pelting her clear poncho. She has red hair that frizzes out from her face on a fuzzy halo.

I smile a little. "I needed a place to think."

"But aren't you wet?" Her curiosity comforts me, for reasons I don't know.

"Yes." I respond, slowly. "But sometimes...it's worth getting wet, if there's a place where you can just sit and think."

The girl tilts her head to the side. "That's silly," she tells me. At that moment, a woman with short brown hair sweeps over and picks the little girl up.

"Sorry about Kee," she says quickly. As she walks away, I hear her speaking to the girl. "I told you not to run away, or..."

I lean my head back and close my eyes as the rain hits my face. If only I could return to the age where my mother was always there. If only I was young and untouched by the cruelties of life.

If only.

**Tobias POV**

_You're an idiot._

It's my first thought when I wake up in the morning. My head pounds and I groan as I lift my head from the pillow. Shauna lays next to me, still asleep. I resists the urge to pick up a lock of her shiny hair and run it through my fingers, like I sometimes do.

I get a glass of water and drink it sitting in one of the armchairs by the window. My memories are fuzzy and strange. Did I really...do all of that?

I close my eyes and recall the fleeting memory of that waitress from the lounge kissing me - on my request. And another kiss, but not Shauna. Tris.

_I am a terrible boyfriend._ The thought replays in my head several times as it sinks in. I can't be seeing them. I'm with Shauna. I love Shauna. Right?

She is waking, lifting her head from her pillow. She's beautiful in mornings. Her hair is messed up but still shiny and pretty. Her eyes aren't all the way opened, and she always has the hint of a smile on her face.

"Hey, baby," I say as I walk over to her, wincing as the events of last night replay once more in my mind. Shauna smiles sleepily up at me.

"Hey," she responds, pulling me back down with her. She nestles her head into my shoulder and I wrap my arm around her. Guilt rushes through me, and I try to hold it back. I won't be like that again. I can't. No more late night drinking.

We lay there for a while, me playing with her hair while she talks about breakfast options. "They have...eggs and stuff. Normal breakfast." She props herself up on one elbow and looks at me. "Want a normal day today? Because you don't have anything scheduled?" My chest feels cold with the sudden absence of her.

It is so unlike something Shauna would say that I find myself grinning. "Yes. I would love a normal day with you today."

She kisses me, and it is so like the old Shauna that I savor the feeling of her lips on mine, for the first time in a long time. This is the Shauna I love. The one who hadn't ever heard of fame until she started dating me.

We get dressed soon after. I wear simple jeans and a gray shirt. Usual Shauna would be dressed in something gold. Sparkly. Heels making her inches taller. Instead, she comes out of her enormous closet wearing only jeans, a pale green sweater, and white flats. She fits perfectly into the curve of my arm at her natural height.

"It's raining, baby," she says to me, and I notice that her lips aren't dark red today. I grab an umbrella on the way out and she leans into me on the ride in the elevator to the ground floor.

As soon as I step out of the elevator, I can smell wet pavement. The smell is strangely comforting, and I inhale a deep breath as we walk through the lobby. Then I hear a voice that makes dread creep up my spine.

"Tobias? Eaton?" Nita grins at me from her spot perched on the front desk. She winks.

"No autographs," I say flatly, pulling Shauna out the door. It is best for her to think I don't remember who she is. Best for both of us. As for Tris...I don't know when I'll be able to face her again. If I'll be able to, even.

Shauna grins at me. "I love you. You knew that already though, right?" I take in her image. The casual clothes, the lower height, the genuine smile and brown eyes softer without loads of makeup.

"Yes," I tell her. As I say it I feel the guilt again, the guilt I will carry for a long time. "I would say it back to you, but that seems cliche."

Shauna giggles into my shoulder. "So...you would say it back to me, if this conversation hadn't been the star of countless _Hallmark _movies?"

I pull her closer to me. "Of course."

The car arrives and we step in. Shauna doesn't talk much, which is unlike her. Today is a good day for her. I like her much better like this. As the girl I fell in love with in the first place.

When we finally reach the restaurant, Shauna leads me to a booth by the window and we sit. She stares at me, long and hard.

"Do you like me...when I'm...like this?" Her voice is slow and careful. She blushes and looks down at the table like she's ashamed of herself.

I reach out and take her hand. "Of course I do. You're so...kind and beautiful. Of course." She smiles shyly at me, and it feels like the past.

This is the girl I know.

The one I like.

But not the one with short blond hair and blue eyes that fills my head as I kiss Shauna.

**Hello, friends. Hope you liked this chapter. As for the "this is moving too fast" reviews, it's not; this was all part of my master plan *evil laugh*. I also, of course, hope you don't mind the Tobias/Shauna stuff, but I figured with them being in a relationship it needed to happen.**

**Pressing news I carry. Sad news. Our beautiful, amazing, beyond wonderful Fourtris Navy Pier Ferris Wheel is being taken down and scrapped. To stop this, please; if you have an Instagram, please post photos and tag them with #saveourchicagowheel to try and make a difference. My Instagram is factionlessrebel if any of you are wondering. So say goodbye to our iconic piece of Divergence.**

**On that sad note, I will see you all soon, and thanks for reading this longer than usual ending note 4**


	8. Chapter 8

**Tris POV**

Eric calls me in the next day.

I sit in the meeting room, alone, tapping my fingers nervously against the long, shiny wood table. Whatever this is, it can't be good. With Eric, it never is.

He walks in, wearing a dark blue suit, and the door slams shut behind him. He stands in front of the door, blocking it. A prickle shoots down my arm, and when I glance at it, it's covered in goosebumps.

"Ms. Prior," he drawls. "I have set you on this...gracious time off to gain information on Tobias Eaton. And I have to say, I haven't been impressed so far."

I feel dread snaking cold tendrils down my back. _Just as long as he doesn't know about...it. _"He's a very difficult person to get, uh, new information on." I clear my throat. "Being so well known and all."

Eric frowns at me, a disapproving look I would expect a father to give a daughter. It sends a chill down my spine. "I'm giving you another month to get a story. Or I'm replacing you with this great new guy I just hired. I have to say, he doesn't fail to impress."

"Who is it?" I ask quickly, my curiosity getting the best of me.

Eric smiles. "Peter Hayes."

After I leave the office, I realize I'm holding my breath, and release it in an attempt to relieve the pressure building in my chest. I need to see Tobias Eaton as soon as possible. But it will be awkward.

_He kissed me, _I think solemnly. He was drunk and might not even remember it. I hope he doesn't, on the surface, but deep down inside I hope he does. Hope for another. But these are stupid things to think about when Eric is threatening my position.

I pull out my phone and text Tobias.

_meet up for lunch today?_

He responds a few minutes later. _sure. where?_

_there's a place on michigan avenue called wichop thats pretty good. do you like sandwiches?_

_yes_

I slide my phone back into my pocket and hurry home. As soon as I walk through the door, Christina intercepts me. She stands with her hands on her hips and a small frown.

"What is it?" I ask warily.

Christina groans and tugs me into our shared closet, which is now mostly occupied by her clothing. "The dress, Tris." She pulls the dress from Tobias off of the rack and holds it out in front of her. "I've seen this online. It's worth several thousand dollars."

_Oh shit. _"I can explain," I sigh.

"Please do. And please don't say you're into drugs."

"Why do you keep asking me that?" I say, trying to avoid her question.

"Tris."

I wince. "Okay, no drugs. Tobias is letting me borrow it. It's Shauna's."

Christina narrows her eyes. "This is so weird. I can't believe it." Then her face splits into a huge smile. "It's _unbelievable."_

She pulls me into a hug. I smile into her shoulder. It's great to have a best friend to confide in. "I'm meeting him for lunch right now," I say.

Christina pulls back and grins at me. "Okay. I'll let you go on one condition. You have to let me meet him sometime. You know I watch all of his movies."

I groan. "Okay, fine. I'll try."

"Love you!" Christina says, twirling out of the room. I stand alone in the closet and shake my head a little bit. After tugging on a plain gray zip up, I leave the apartment and begin the walk to the sandwich shop.

It's only a few blocks away, so I walk. The sky looks dark and it's filled with stratus clouds, like it might rain. I catch the eye of a middle aged man standing at a crosswalk across the street.

He sees me and scowls, though I'm sure I've never seen him before. I hold his gaze and watch as he stares at me with a look of rage stewing in his eyes. I glare back, unflinching. The light turns white, and we walk.

When we intercept, he grabs my arm just above the elbow and hisses into my ear. "You'll watch your back, Beatrice, if you know what's good for you." He quickly releases me and walks away.

When I reach the other side of the street, I look back to try to get another look at him. He's gone; swallowed by a large group of school age children and their parents. I've never seen him before, yet he knows my name...

I push open the door to the sandwich shop with a shudder.

* * *

**Tobias POV**

She wants to talk. It's on her face when she walks in the door. I just hope she doesn't want to talk about the events that happened when I got so shamefully drunk that I double cheated on Shauna. Tris slides onto the bench across from me.

"Hi," she says, twisting her hands on the table. I notice, suddenly, that her dark red nails are only a shade darker than Shauna's.

"Hi," I repeat lamely. An awkward silence yawns between us, and before the situation can get worse a waiter comes over and saves me.

He has a graying combover desperately gelled back and wears a smile. "Do you kids know what you want today?"

Tris speaks immediately. "I'll have the BLT on wheat...and water is just fine with me." She doesn't even have to look at the menu. She must come here a lot.

"And you?" The waiter turns to me.

I inspect the menu. "Uh...I'll have the turkey and avocado sandwich on wheat. And water is good with me, too," I add quickly.

The waiter nods and turns away. I look back up and see Tris staring at me, an unreadable expression on her face.

"What?" I ask, hoping my guess is wrong.

"Your premiere." A wave of relief surges over me. "What am I..." Tris trails off and looks down at the table.

I think up an answer, trying to calm her nerves. "You'll do fine. You just need to show up, let them find you on the guest list, and..." I think. I've never been a guest to a premiere before. "And there will be refreshments and food, and then the movie."

Tris nods slowly. She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, which seems to be her nervous habit. "Okay. I think...I think I have it."

"Why don't we meet up again tonight?" I ask her. She lifts her head, fast, eyes wide. "At a restaurant, or something, to discuss it?"

"Or something?" she teases, narrowing her eyes in a playful way. "What do you have in mind?"

I think. I don't know any places around here. "I don't know, you're the local; what places around here are good?"

"Do you want a restaurant, or an _or something_?"

"Tris."

She sighs. "Fine, fine. If you want a restaurant, we can go to this place called Talia's Tavern. If you want a bar, we can go to Scrubs."

I think for a moment. "How about Scrubs? At 8:15?"

Tris thinks. "Yeah, okay. I can do that."

* * *

Shauna leans against me while I button up my shirt. "Baby, why do you have to go tonight?" She pouts out her bottom lip. I finish the top button and look down at her.

"I told you. I'm meeting with some magazine editors to talk about publicity for my new movie." The lie burns on my tongue. But if I told her I was meeting with a new friend, especially a _female _one, Shauna would get instantly suspicious. She always does.

Shauna groans and wraps her tan arms around me. "Tobias, we never spend time together anymore. I miss our nights and our moments." She looks up at me with a pouty frown.

"Me too," I lie. I run a hand over the top of her head. "But I have to go." I lean down and kiss her. An image of Tris forms in my mind before I can think of it, and I quickly pull back and leave.

The elevator seems to go excruciatingly slow for my taste. I hope Nita isn't working tonight. Seeing her again would be terrible. The elevator opens and I jog out of the lobby before anyone can see me.

My car picks me up and drops me off at Scrubs, which turns out to be a small bar on the second floor of a restaurant. I head up and find that Tris isn't there yet. I order a drink for myself and sip it while I wait.

Tris comes in and scans the room for a moment before her eyes land on me. She strides over and hops onto the stool next to mine. "Sorry I'm late," she says, like she's out of breath.

"No worries," I answer casually. On the inside, I'm worried. Worried that she will bring the night up. I don't know what I would say.

She bites her lip a little before speaking. "What is this? Right here?"

"What?" I ask, confused.

"This. Us...we...whatever we are. What is this?" She takes a deep breath. "Does it even mean anything?"

My first reaction is confusion. _Does she not think this is a real friendship? _The thought hits me like a boulder. Maybe she thinks I befriend random fans in every place I go. "Of course," I tell her. "Do you think I just go around hanging out with people everywhere? Just random people?"

Tris flinches and looks away. I realize what I said. "Look - what I meant to say is that this isn't an everyday thing. This is special to me." The words come out of my mouth before I can even stop them.

Tris looks back at me, her fiery blue eyes meeting my darker ones. "It's special to me, too." Her voice is quiet, almost wiped away by the sound of the other people in the room.

I stare at her for a long time, and she stares back. I feel like I just confessed something, and maybe I did. "I want you to know," I start, slowly, "that you are special to me, Tris Prior."

The corner of her mouth curls into the ghost of a smile. "I would tell you the same thing," she says to me. "but that seems cheesy."

"Say it anyway."

Tris smiles for real this time, and it makes me feel lighter, more carefree. "You're special to me, Tobias Eaton. Just so you know."

**New chapter. Here we go. Hope you guys really liked this one. I did. Took me a while to write. And I've been pretty busy recently, so I've been trying to make time to write this chapter. Anyway, here is what happened to me today; I stayed up until midnight last night waiting for _Amazon Prime Day_ and it was awful. They said the sales would be better than Black Friday, yet I saw a lot of dish soap sales...either way, I ordered a new Divergent shirt, even though it wasn't on sale. Thanks for the support, guys, I couldn't do this without you. See you soon (hopefully).**


	9. Chapter 9

**Tris POV**

It's six in the morning, and I sit on my bed. I try to be completely silent, breathing slowly and barely taking in enough air to be satisfied. One of my hands clutches the white painted wire frame around the picture of the woman I saw die.

She is beautiful. Hair the same color as mine, but hers is longer and seems less dull in the picture. Eyes crinkled shut as she laughs, her mouth slightly open and set in an easy smile.

My mother.

I stare at the photo, taking in every inch of it, the woman who is ingrained into my memory. I want to remember her as this happy, smiling woman. I can't. All I see is her wide eyes and her arm, pushing me behind her. I squeeze my eyes shut, but the memories keep going...

_"Beatrice, why don't you come help me with dinner?" My mother calls from the kitchen, leaning into the doorway. A strand of hair has fallen out of her bun and into her face, and the kitchen lights make it a lock of gold._

_I set down my pencil on my seventh grade math homework. "Okay," I say, and meet her in the kitchen. She's rolling ground beef into meatballs. The aroma of meat fills the air._

_"Can you get me the pan out of the cupboard?" She rolls another meatball, her eyes trained dutifully on the task at hand. I retrieve the pan and set it on the counter for her, and begin placing the finished meatballs in neat rows across the glass surface._

_The front door opens with a bang so loud it makes us both jump. Caleb is upstairs, doing his homework, and my dad would never open the door in a manner so violent. My mother recovers from her shock and her face falls into her normal small smile as she walks to the kitchen doorway._

_Before she gets there, a man I've never seen before bursts into the kitchen. He smells like cigarettes and alcohol and all the things that make my nose wrinkle under normal circumstances. My mother widens her eyes, and I take a tiny step back._

_I then notice the metal in his hand, and follow it down to the tip of the gun dangling from his right hand. I move closer to my mom. Who is he? Is he going to shoot us? Am I going to die?_

_He lifts the pistol and points it at me. "Give me all the money you have here or I swear to God I will shoot her." I stare into the black pit that is the gun barrel and try to swallow. There is a lump in my throat. A crazed thought ranges in my mind, wondering what the lump is made of._

_My mother casts a desperate glance at me and moves slowly to the counter to where her purse rests. Her hands shake as she pulls out her wallet. I see very few bills and my heart hammers in my chest._

_My mother holds the wallet out to the man. "Take it," she says in a quiet, steady voice. "That's all of my credit cards." I look at her, and think, fearfully, of how brave she's being and what a coward I am._

_The man snatches the wallet and looks through it. His mouth crunches up and he throws the wallet to the ground. "No cash!" His voice shakes the house. I feel my bottom lip quiver and look at my mother. She looks and me and I see a sad smile on her lips. Her lips move into words that make no sounds. They say, _I love you. No matter what.

_The man closes his finger on the trigger, and I am about to die. My eyes are squeezed shut. But the bullet never comes. All I hear is a thud hitting the floor and footsteps running away. I open my eyes and the man is gone. And the thud was my mother hitting the kitchen floor._

_She took the bullet for me._

_I drop to the floor next to her and scream. "Mom. Mom." She stays silent, and she's not breathing. There's a red mark in her neck, and red on the floor. "Mom. Mom!" I scream for her, but she's silent, and I keep screaming anyway._

_And I can do nothing for her, even though it is my fault that my mother is dead. I was the one he was going to shoot. They caught him later, Henry Jakarta. But it's not worth it. Because my mother was gone and there was nothing more._

I gasp and press the photograph to my chest. Today, eight years ago, she was a stiff lifeless form that hit the floor. I can't take it. I need to get out of here. I drop the picture onto my sheets and run out of the apartment. I trip on the stairs and fall for several stairs, skinning my knee. I don't feel anything. I am numb. I am nothing. Blood runs down my leg. I can barely see it.

I run down the sidewalk, pushing people out of my path, trembling all over. My mother. My beautiful, beautiful mother. Dead today, a long time ago. Gone. Forever.

I am in front of a hotel, and a voice in the back of my head tells me I've been here before, but I'm breathing too fast and can't remember who's staying here, or why I am here in the first place.

A man sees me, and he has dark blue eyes. His mouth moves, but I hear nothing. I sink to my knees in the pavement and my head touches the ground. I feel myself sobbing, sobbing into the concrete. People are asking me things, but I can't hear them. All I see is my mother, and her smile. Wiped away from the world.

I sob and sob until I am no more, just a small bit of nothing floating in a sea of too many.

**Tobias POV**

I watch the ambulance pull up, the paramedics who load Tris into their vehicle. Her eyes are squeezed shut, her red cheeks stained with tears. I'm shaking. When I came down for my morning coffee run, she was there, on the sidewalk, screaming and crying, until she passed out. I had to call 911.

"Are you coming?" One of the paramedics holds the door open. I don't think; I just climb into the ambulance and then we are driving away.

The hospital comes in a blur of doctors and nurses, and someone sitting me in a waiting room and telling me to _stay put. _

A vaguely familiar man comes into the waiting room, nervously pacing the room. I realize with a start that it's her brother, Caleb. He meets my eyes and his mouth drops open. "Tobias Eaton?" His voice is laden with anxiety and disbelief.

"Yeah. I was the one who called the paramedics," I tell him. "For Tris," I add. His eyes widen even more and he sits down in a chair in front of mine.

"You know my sister?"

I consider my responses. "You could say that." I think for a moment. "Do you have any idea what's wrong with her?"

Caleb looks at the floor, clearly uncomfortable. "I'm sorry," I say quickly. "You don't have to tell me."

"No, it's okay." Caleb looks up, and his eyes are a little bit wet. "Its the anniversary of our mother's death. Tris, when she was thirteen...well, she saw her get shot."

The information hits me like a ton of rocks. Tris saw her mother get killed as a kid? "I'm sorry," I say, because it's all I can think of.

Caleb opens his mouth to say something when a nurse comes up to us. "You can come see her now." We follow her down a hall to a room where Tris is curled up on the bed, looking smaller than usual. She lifts her head a little bit when we come in, and then buries her face in her pillow.

"Hey, sis," Caleb sits in the chair next to her bed and takes her hand. Tris looks up at him. "You okay?"

Tris groans. "I don't know what's wrong with me." She starts crying again, and it makes me sad. She is such a strong person, and now I can see the side of her that everyone has, the side that takes over every once in a while and makes you break.

I stand in the doorway and watch them talk quietly. I feel like an intruder. I'm about to leave when Tris looks up at me.

"You're here." She says it in a way that is neither or a question or a statement. I nod, and she looks embarrassed.

"Are you okay?" I ask. She looks away, and then back at me.

"Yes." She closes her eyes. I'm not sure I believe her.

* * *

Shauna is waiting for me back at the hotel. She regards me with a quiet air that could mean anything. Finally, she speaks. "Did you really call an ambulance for that girl with the mental breakdown?"

I want to snap at her for referring to Tris like that, but I hold my tongue. "Yes. Yes I did." My answer comes out short and flat.

She wraps her arms around me and tugs at my short hair with her fingertips. "You are a hero. A brave one."

But I'm not. That's Tris. Who saw her mother die. Not me. Suddenly, I'm so sick of Shauna and how she changes herself to be with me, sick of everything about her. Just so...done. Shauna is no longer the one I love. No. Loved.

"No." I tell her, and step out of her embrace.

"What do you mean, no?" Shauna asks, the slight bitchy tone entering her voice. She scowls at me.

"We...we're done, Shauna. It's over between us. We just can't be together anymore." The words come from my mouth, fast and steady.

Shauna's mouth falls open. "You can't dump me. You wouldn't."

"I just did." I'm too tired of her to be gentle. "You aren't the girl I used to like. And because I barely know you anymore, I don't see how we could play this...this _game _where we pretend to love each other and pretend everything's fine."

Shauna glares at me. "I loved you," she snarls. "I gave you my life, everything. And you're throwing it all away. I don't know what to say."

"Nothing. Don't say anything, Shauna." I snap, and leave the hotel room. I'm in the elevator and in the lounge before I can register what happened, and don't let myself process what I did until Nita hands me a glass of whiskey.

**Looks like everyone is breaking down in this one. Ouch.**

**Sorry for the depressing chapter, but it's been an idea I've had for a while now, and needed to get it out there. Poor seventh grade Tris. But on the bright side, Tobias broke up with Shauna so...hmmm. I wonder what he'll do next. Thanks for the love and support, I appreciate you all.**

**Love you bye !**


	10. Chapter 10

**Tris POV**

Caleb sits next to me on the couch in my apartment. I haven't done much in the past few days, but he has stayed with me. I think he's worried about me. I don't blame him. He passes me the bag of mini muffins we're sharing and I pop one into my mouth.

Out of instinct, I turn on my phone to see if I have any texts. Except for a few from Christina, my messages are empty. I'm not surprised Tobias hasn't contacted me since the hospital. He probably thinks I'm a freak. Maybe it's for the better; I'm not sure I can ever face him again.

Caleb gently pushes the hand gripping my phone back down into the couch. "Beatrice. You can't keep worrying about stuff like that," he tells me. I pull my hand out of his grasp.

"I want to go out," I tell him. He raises an eyebrow, and I nod. "It's time. I'm fine. I'm fine."

Twenty minutes later, I send Caleb out the door and head to a coffee shop to work on the news article Eric is expecting. What do I have to say about Tobias Eaton? I have nothing to say. Well, nothing that I want Eric to hear.

I order a chai latte and flip my laptop open on a table. My wallpaper picture is of me and Caleb during our cousin's wedding, where we're all dressed up. I'm in the front, and he's balancing a piece of wedding cake on the top of my head. It makes me crack a smile.

_While waiting for the premiere of his movie _Night Watchmen, _Tobias Eaton is staying in Chicago. He has been seen taking morning runs around the city, as well as eating at smaller local businesses._

I stop typing and pick up my drink order. The whole article feels wrong. What can I say about him, without exploiting myself? If Eric knew the truth, I would be fired. Or worse.

I delete everything I've written and take a sip of my tea. It's too hot, and I let it gather in the space under my tongue as I open my mouth to try to cool it off. I feel my phone buzz in my pocket and pull it out.

It's a text. From not Caleb, not Christina. Tobias Eaton.

_dinner tonight?_

My breath hitches in my throat, and before I realize it, in grinning like an idiot. I read the text a few times over, my heart beating faster the longer I stare at the two small words. My fingers fly across the keyboard, typing a response.

_sure. where?_

I wince at the two question marks. It's a thing I like to do, because so many people use either one or three. Maybe it looks stupid.

While I wait for his reply, I bite my lip and look at my computer screen. The document is completely empty. I don't know what I'm going to have for Eric, but I need to come up with something quickly.

I tap the "Q" key, watching the letter repeat over and over. It's what I used to do in middle school when I couldn't think of things to write. The letter skips to the next line and keeps going.

My phone buzzes and I pull it in front of the laptop.

_felipe okay with you?_

I almost laugh, but tell him I'll be there. Felipe. Not exactly my favorite, but it's perfectly fine.

I pack up my computer and finish the rest of my drink. It's a rare sunny day, and the rays illuminate my hair as I walk under the elevated tracks. The L rattles above, filling the street with comforting familiar noise.

A quick right takes me into a pharmacy, where I've finally remembered to go after needing more dish soap for two weeks. I stroll the options, finally picking the cheapest one that doesn't smell terrible.

There's a few people in front of me in line, so my eyes immediately roam over the colorful packages of gum and candy bars that line the front desk. Then there's the tabloids; something there about famous models, and what this scandal did, and someone going to jail, and -

_Shauna and Tobias have had their last fight! And insider on the final straw that pushed her over the edge._

He didn't tell me about that.

Then again, why would he?

I buy the dish soap and hurry home. Christina lays on the couch when I get there, eating cheese crackers. "Your buddy's single again," she says, glancing up from the magazine I saw.

"So I heard," I say, sitting next to her on the couch and pulling the box if cheese crackers into my lap.

"Tris." Christina says, sounding almost awed. She flips the magazine so it faces me and I see a very blurry picture of Tobias sitting in a cafe window with a girl with short blond hair.

Me.

**Tobias POV**

The inside of my head is pounding. I sit alone in my hotel room and try to wish the hangover away. It doesn't go, of course. It persists, and I groan.

I invited her to dinner at the restaurant where I saw her for the second time. I can't go like this...Maybe I should eat something, drink something. It might help.

Begrudgingly, I get up and leave the room. When I reach the lobby, Nita brightens up and trots over. "Hi, Tobias." Her voice sounds like she's smiling. She wraps her hand around my arm. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Hangover," I tell her. Nita leads me into the lounge and sits me in my regular chair. She leaves, and when she comes back she has a tall glass of orange juice and a muffin.

"These are leftovers from breakfast. And I've closed the lounge." She smiles and hands me the glass of juice, setting the muffin a small table next to me. Nita pulls up a chair in front of mine and seats herself.

I take a long sip of the juice, and after the glass is empty, I feel significantly better. "Thanks," I tell her.

She smiles sweetly at me. "I'm glad we met each other." She reaches out her hand and takes mine. "You're my favorite actor, you know."

I half smile and take a bite of the muffin. Nita gets up and squeezes onto my chair next to me. I tense up. "I have to go, though."

The smile falls from Nita's face. "Why?"

"I have a...work dinner to attend." I stand up and brush my hands off on the front of my pants.

Nita pouts and plants a kiss on my cheek, just next to my ear. "Okay," she says, and leaves the Lounge. I watch after her, and feel a weird guilt even though technically I've done nothing wrong.

I make my way back up to my room and brush my teeth. All of the choices of nice clothes seem daunting, so I go with a simple pair of black slacks and a blue button up. I'm going to see Tris soon, I know, and I finally feel energized.

When I reach Felipe, my hangover lurks in the back of my head but it is easier to ignore now. I don't think she's here yet; the host takes me to a table near the back, and I wait.

I sip my glass of water and wait for Tris. I don't know why I feel this way, this strange blend of excitement and anxiety, but it's enough to make me stare at the doors and wait for a blond head to come through them.

Eventually, she does. Tris is there, and I feel the smile spreading across my face as she comes over to my table. She sits in the seat across from mine and mimics me, a small smile of her own making an appearance.

"Hi," I say, wishing I had a better thing to say.

"Hi," she repeats.

We both start laughing, and it feels good, filling some of the empty space within me. Tris looks alive, and much better than when I last saw her. The waiter comes back, and I order a glass of red wine. Tris sticks with water.

"Your premiere is soon," Tris says, sipping her water.

I nod. "Yeah. It's been a lot of work."

Tris smiles at me. "But it is really exciting. And I'm also really excited to see the movie. I mean...I've seen the trailers." She looks down into her glass.

I stare at Tris, taking in her stubborn set lips, her small nose, her large blue eyes. I think about everything she is; kind and curious, stubborn and intelligent, everything that makes up her person. I think about how I should phrase the words I'm about to say, and think hard so I don't mess it up.

"Tris..." She tilts her head slightly to the right, and I continue. "I want you to come to the premiere with me. As my date."

**Wowowow. I have not updated in literally eight years. Okay. Not that long. But it feels like it.**

**I just didn't know how to do this chapter well, so I had super low muse, and it's a shorter chapter. I tried my best. It's not the highest quality chapter ever, either, but I promise I will have another one coming soon. **

**Anyway, school started and I have less time to write, but I will in between homework assignments and clubs and whatnot. But I love you guys and I want you all to know that you're amazing c:**


	11. Chapter 11

**Tris POV**

The dress feels so strange. It doesn't look like something Shauna would wear, but I suppose it is hers. I stare at myself in my closet mirror, at the black material that stops just above my knee. I paired it with a pair of plain black flats, though I know heels would be more acceptable. Whatever.

I make myself walk out of the bedroom and drink a cup of water, slowly, sip by sip. Tobias said he'd pick me up at 6:30, and it's only ten minutes away. But I know the minutes will drag by.

Christina is out for the night, so the apartment is empty. I pull out my phone and scroll through my texts. There's no new ones. I open my camera roll and flip through pictures I've taken over the past month.

Christina, holding a box of cinnamon rolls and shaking the contents out over her head. The view of the street out my window. Tobias, not looking at the camera but laughing at something. Caleb, several times over.

I decide I'll go insane waiting in here, so I leave the apartment, carefully locking the door behind me. I head to the street and pace in front of the building. It's already getting a bit cold, and standing in the street I feel overdressed.

A man across the street catches my eye. He looks somehow familiar. I tilt my head to the side a little bit. He scowl at me and jerks his finger in my direction. His mouth is moving, but I don't hear anything. He swings his hand back down to his side and keeps walking. I shiver, wrapping my arms around myself.

A glossy black car pulls up, and a window rolls down. Tobias grins at me. I'm surprised he's driving; I always assumed celebrities all had personal drivers to take them everywhere. I smile back and climb into the passenger seat.

"You look nice," he remarks, making my cheeks warm considerably. I hope it's not visible.

"So do you," I reply honestly. He really does. His suit is a deep dark blue, like the color of his eyes, and it fits him perfectly. He starts up the car again and pulls away.

We ride in silence. It feels awkward to me, but Tobias looks at ease. No music fills the empty space between us. I twist my hands in my lap and instantly wish I was better at these situations. If only I could do small talk.

Instead of trying to make conversation, I gaze awkwardly out the window at the passing city. All people, just like me, with problems that they're alone with. We're all the same.

The car pulls to a stop. Tobias grins and takes my hand, and I stand and follow him into a small venue. Photographers snap pictures, and a bolt of fear shoots through me when I realize Eric will, most definitely, see these.

I push the feeling down. It can't be stopped now, and I will not have my night ruined by him. I'll tell him it's for the story. If I still have my job tomorrow.

Tobias leads me into the venue and more camera flashes go off, momentarily blinding me. I stumble over someone's foot and almost fall. A hand slips lightly around my waist and straightens me. I look up and see a man attached to the foot in front of me. He's tall, with light brown hair that's bren artfully tousled.

"No worries," he says in a light voice, flashing me a grin with his bright white teeth. I recognize him vaguely, and then I realize; it's Matthew, the other star of _Night Watchmen._ I smile nervously back and look around. Tobias has been swallowed by the crowd.

"Tobias?" I call, but it's too loud and he probably can't hear me. I turn back around and Matthew's disappeared as well. I'm surrounded by people I don't know, gorgeous model types and clean shaven men.

I push through the crowd, trying to find Tobias. A security guard appears in front of me, a scowl deep set in his wrinkled face. "No visitors beyond this point," he says in a low voice without even looking at me.

"I'm not a visitor, I'm here with Tobias Eaton," I tell him. He glances down at me and laughs silently, his shoulders moving slightly as he shakes his head.

"No visitors beyond this point, miss." He turns around and I look beyond his shoulder to see Tobias standing in front of photographers as they snap photos of him with Matthew.

Tobias catches my eye and grins at me, leaving the photo opportunity to come and take my hand. The security guard turns away to let me through and I quickly slip out of the crowd.

"This is...extensive," I say to Tobias.

He grins down at me, and I can't help but to smile lightly back. "Welcome to my life."

**Tobias POV**

The movie begins to play. The theater is hushed, quiet and eager. I've already seen the movie, so I turn and look at Tris instead. The front of her face is illuminated by the glow of the screen, outlining her cheekbones and nose and reflecting in her blue eyes.

She looks truly stunning in Shauna's dress, better even then she would have. Everything about her is perfect, from her smooth skin to her selfless demeanor to her brave heart. She looks fragile, as if she will break if I touch her, but she is not fragile in any way.

I slowly slide my fingers over her hand and she glances up at me, surprised. Then she wraps her long thin fingers around my palm and keeps it there. I try to keep the pressure of my hand on hers at a normal rate, but hand holding has never come naturally to me.

I watch her still, her delicate chin and short blond hair hanging in a jagged curtain around her head. She is small but strong. Beautiful.

I take my other hand and touch her chin. She turns into my hand and I meet her eyes. "I'm glad you're here," I say quietly, and she opens her mouth to say something when I lean in and kiss her.

We share a short breath, and everything else falls away. Then we break apart, and I'm grinning and so is she.

Some choices are meant to be made.

* * *

I sit in the dark in the lounge of the hotel. There's a drink in my hand and a memory in my mind. The memory of Tris, sitting next to me, her hand wrapped in mine. I try to think of other things, but she always creeps back into my mind.

Nita comes into the lounge, a smile set on her face. "You're in the headlines. How was the premiere?" She asks, settling in the chair across from me.

"Good," I say, and leave it at that. She pouts out her bottom lip a bit and I notice that she's wearing a dark red lipstick, the kind Shauna used to wear. For some reason, it makes me feel at home.

Nita rolls her eyes. "Uh, come on. Tell me about it. I really want to see your movie." She crosses her legs and leans forward onto her knees, cupping her chin in her hands.

"It's...very long," I tell her. She laughs and stands, taking my glass. I didn't realise it was empty.

She leaves to go fill it and I lean back in my chair. The alcohol is already making me feel more relaxed. Nita returns with a full glass of whiskey and a smile on her face. She hands me the whiskey.

I take a sip and close my eyes. When I open them, Nita stands directly in front of me, and she's grinning. Then she leans in and kisses me. Without even processing it, I find one hand on her back and the other in her hair.

The kiss tastes like whiskey and cigarettes. I don't smoke, but Nita must. She wraps one hand over my shoulder and pulls away, her lipstick slightly smudged. "I love you," she says.

I don't say anything back; I just take another sip of whiskey and pull her mouth back to mine. She laughs lightly against my lips and I pull her closer. Nita wraps her arms around my shoulder and sits on the arm of my chair. I finger a stray lock of her hair and twist it around my thumb.

"Hey," she mumbles, running a hand through my short hair. "Be gentle, Tobias." She leans in and presses her lips against mine.

I know this is wrong. But in this moment, it doesn't matter to me.

**Sorry that it's been so long! I just had exactly zero inspiration for this chapter. So yeah. There y'all go. I have an idea for the next chapter so it will be up soon. Hope you enjoyed, sorry it's shorter than usual.**

**c:**


	12. Chapter 12

**Tris POV**

Eric stares at me. I stare back. His eyes are cold. Steely. But he can't do anything to me to ruin this mood that I'm in. It's my life, after all. I'll do what I want with it.

"The premiere." His voice is stone cold. I stare at him and say nothing. He wants a reaction. He will not be getting one. He narrows his eyes and continues. "You were there with him, and you have nothing to say?"

"What do you want me to say? Now I have an insider story," I tell Eric smoothly. I even try to smile at the end of my sentence, but I'm not sure if it came out like that. Maybe it looks like a scowl instead.

Eric stares at me for a little bit, then a huge grin splits his face. "Thats what I need! I need more employees like you. You really went the extra mile." He starts to laugh, and I'm so shocked I feel my mouth drop slightly open. I quickly snap it shut.

Eric shakes his head, his grotesque smile causing me to flinch away when he leans across the desk towards me. "You really know how to get on the inside." He past the top of my hand and I resist the urge to slap his fingers away.

"Go see him again," Eric tells me, and leaves his office. I stay sitting in the chair, staring at the polished wood of Eric's desk. How can I keep seeing Tobias, if Eric thinks it's just a reporting job and nothing more than that?

I quickly get up to leave. Something about this whole situation just makes me...uneasy. I hurry out if the building, my stomach flipping over and over.

I hurry out onto the street. People stream past, talking fast into phones and carting children along behind them. I wonder, suddenly, if anyone will recognize me, or if my anonymity remains.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, and Christina's calling. I pick up. "Hey, Chris."

"Get to the apartment now. Someone broke in."

* * *

I crash in through the door and find Christina slumped on our couch. She gestures to the room around her, but my eyes are already there. Things like in heaps across the floor, books turned over, broken kitchenware strewn about. My mouth falls open for the second time today.

"I already submitted it to the police," Christina says in a hollow voice. "And you might want to come look at this." She guides me into my room, and I see my things tossed around, my dresser drawers smashed on my bed. And beyond that, a message scribbled in black marker on the wall that makes me stop in my tracks.

_You'll pay, bitch._

I turn to Christina and she shakes her head. "The police said they don't think we should stay here tonight. So I have rooms at the same hotel as your new," she pauses for a weak smile, "boyfriend."

I smile halfheartedly back at her. "You're the best, Chris." She grins for real this time.

"I know I'm the best. Now come on; grab anything you might need. We can head over now."

I sweep the ransacked room and sigh, picking up my small black bag and cramming clothes and toiletries inside. This will have to do, until the place is secured by the police.

We take the L, sitting together with our bags sitting neatly on the floor in front of us. The city goes by out the Windows. Christina is talking, but I'm not listening. I'm thinking about dark blue, and how much I love the color, before I even remember that it's the color of Tobias' eyes.

We come into the lobby and check in, taking the elevator to the sixth floor. Our room is nice, but pretty generic hotel-like. I toss my stuff on the bed closer to the window. Christina groans and says, "I need a nap."

I leave her to it and take the elevator back down to the lobby, unsure of what to do next. People lounge in plush chairs, reading newspapers and catching up with each other. A fountain sends reflections scattering across the floor and ceiling. I smile a bit.

A sign advertises a restaurant, a fitness center on the third floor, and a lounge. I make my way to the restaurant, looking in and deciding that I'm not hungry. I vow to check out the fitness center in the morning and backtrack to the lounge.

I stop in my tracks at the beginning of the empty room lit by a large fireplace and a few dull lamps. Well, not completely empty. Just me, me and...

Tobias, sitting in a chair by the fire with a bottle of alcohol hanging from one hand while his other creeps around the waist of a waitress. She sits across his lap, her hands clamped onto his shoulders, and her lips are pressed to his.

It feels like a slap in the face, and I find myself reliving the moment at the premiere when he took my hand and kissed me. I had felt so...needed then, but I've been discarded, for whatever _this _is.

They break apart and I see his incoherent smile, and the waitress' face. She's pretty, with light brown skin and a glossy dark ponytail. She reminds me immediately of Shauna.

Then his eyes flick up and widen as they lock with mine. "Tris, I -" he says, but I don't hear what else he has to say because I've turned on my heel and I'm walking towards the doors, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

I'm so stupid. Why would someone like him ever even glance twice at someone like me? Stupid.

At least, now, I know exactly what I can write for Eric.

**Tobias POV**

The bottle is almost empty. I pour another sip into my mouth and Nita laughs from my lap. "I'll get you another one in a bit," she tells me, smiling.

In return I pull her mouth down to mine and grin as her hands creep up around my back, landing on my shoulders and staying there. My head feels lighter, better than it has in days. Nita laughs into my mouth and I twirl a lock of her hair around my finger in response.

The bottle almost falls out of my hand as she pulls back, eyes and wide and lips pouted. She's pretty, but even as I look at her, I can't help but to think of clear blue eyes and short light hair and a sure set of a mouth.

Tris.

Then my eyes focus on the person staring at us. A streak of something shoots across my chest, and it takes me a second to recognize the emotion. It's fear. But fear of what?

She stands in the doorway, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. She looks, in the moment, like someone descended from the sky. And I barely even sense Nita on my lap, or feel the bottle slip from from my fingers and shatter on the floor. Because I see an angel. Tris.

"Tris, I - let me talk - I -" I sputter for words, but she's gone, flown away. Gone. And it feels like I'll never see her again.

I push Nita away and find myself in the middle of the lobby, my head spinning and throbbing. The fleeting moment of pure fear leaves, replaced by panic. I'm not sure if it's me or the alcohol, but I need to find her.

I run out the revolving doors and onto the darkened sidewalk. Tris is gone, disappeared into thousands of people. "Hey, you're Tobias Eaton!" A girl screams, pushing through the crowds. Heads swivel in my direction, and I run, pushing into the street, dodging a car and ignoring the wail of its blaring horn.

Tris. What was she doing there? And an even better question. What was I doing there? When there was an angel in my life, and I substituted her absence, and now she's gone.

I find myself on the other side of the street and keep sprinting, pushing through crowds and nearly tripping. I finally do, slamming to the cold pavement so hard it rattles my jaw. I don't bother to get up, but just lay there with my throbbing cheek pressed to the ground, wishing Tris was with me and wishing that I wasn't so stupid.

A camera flash goes off, and a voice whispers, "Is that Tobias Eaton?" But instead of their voice, I hear Tris, and the light bounce to words when she described to me how a watch works.

I struggle to stand. There's a circle of people that's formed around me, and when I see phone cameras flashing, I know this is bad, bad for me and for Tris.

Tris.

Who I need to find.

I turn around and try to run, but the ground is at my cheek again. It hurts. I try to get up but my hands feel like planks of wood, big and useless.

I hear someone calling for help before I slip away into nothing.

* * *

I wake with a pounding head. My eyes flutter open, my vision blurry, and I see that I'm in a hospital. White lights and walls and a curtain separating me from the rest of the room. I prop myself up on my elbows.

Someone comes in, someone with short light hair. "Tris?" I ask, my voice slurred and rusty.

"Who?" A sharp voice says. I rub my eyes and find myself looking at a nurse with a frown. "I suppose it doesn't matter. You can go. Just don't drink at all in the next thirty days. Or ever, if you know what's good for you."

She points to a stack of clothes on a chair and leaves. I quickly slip into my clothes and leave the room. People rush past me in the hallway, and somewhere, far away, I hear someone crying.

I locate the stairs and rush down them, careful not to touch the railings. The lobby is full of families, parents, and lone people staring at their phones. I push through the front doors and quickly call up my driver. He won't be happy to have to wake up at...what time is it? My watch says it's sometime after three in the morning.

A few minutes later the car pulls up and I climb into the back seat instead of the passenger. He drops me off, grumbling, at the hotel. I quickly rush to an elevator and shoot up towards my room.

My bed waits for me like an old friend. I collapse onto it, and finally the events hit me. I was drunk. I was kissing Nita. Tris saw, and she is gone. I passed out in public.

But what hurts the most is the absence of pale blue eyes and a shy smile, like she's surprised to see you looking back at her.

I feel a single tear slip down my cheek as I slam my scuffed cheek against the pillow.

**Hehe, okay. This is Chapter 12. My lucky number. So I wanted something big to happen. And it did. **

**It only took my twenty minutes to write this one, so sorry if there's some errors or whatnot, I always write on mobile. But this time I wrote it to Melanie Martinez music (are any of you guys fans?). So yeah, I'll try to update as soon as I can.**

**c;**


	13. Chapter 13

**Tris POV**

My fingers fly across the keyboard as my teeth snag my bottom lip, sinking into the same rut that's been growing ever since I walked in on Tobias...

I don't want to think about it.

_Tobias Eaton, who has been staying in Chicago for the premiere of his new movie, has been secretly dating a hotel staff. An eyewitness has seen them together in the hotel, and rumors are saying that this relationship has been going on for longer than just his brief period of being single, but may have been happening while he was still dating model Shauna._

I stop typing. Eric will be happy, to say the least. I'm not sure what to feel. Maybe I should just move on. But it's not easy, when I know he's just another celebrity looking for a side activity before he skips town. And judging on the topic of my article, he's taken up more than one.

I've been played.

I pull my palms across my eyes, leaning back in my chair. All the time I spent with him, I should have known. He's famous. He's popular. Why would he want anything to do with a person like me?

A light knock behind me makes me turn my head. Christina stands in the doorway, leaning against the frame of our hotel room door. "How are you holding up?" She holds two muffins in her hands, and passes one to me. We settle on the bed I'm sleeping in and I slowly begin to peel the soft paper away from the baked good.

"Okay. I mean...I'm mad." I say, taking a small bite of the muffin. It's cool, and banana flavored. A walnut crunches between my teeth as I sigh.

Christina takes an enormous bite and talks anyway, crumbs falling from her maroon stained lips and onto the sheets. "You have every reason to be mad," she says in a mumbled voice. Christina swallows and continues. "I mean, he's such an _asshole, _for doing that."

I nod, staring down at the picked at muffin in my hand. Christina sighs and leans back against the pillows. "I guess we shouldn't talk about it, because if I get mad about it again I swear I'm going to go up to his room and beat the shit out of him." I turn to look at her and crack a small smile.

Christina grins back. "Thanks," I say to her, and she tilts her chin up and just out her chin.

"I know. I'm the queen of making people feel better." I punch her in the shoulder and she dramatically rolls off of the bed.

She pops up again suddenly, eyes wide like they get when she has an idea. "Tris, before you say no, I have an idea."

Really.

"What is it?" I ask her, setting my muffin down on the table between the two beds. Christina bounces on her heels.

"We should go out tonight. Like, have some fun. Do fun things. Let's not just stay in and do nothing but eat and cry."

I snort. "Since when do we eat and cry?"

Christina shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe we will at some point. But seriously. Are you in?"

I consider the offer in my mind. I could stay in the room by myself and write the article for Eric, and think about Tobias, and watch the news. Or I could go out with Christina and get my mind off of things. I could really use a distraction.

"I'm in."

* * *

"How did you talk me into this?" I ask Christina, as she settles into the cracked black leather chair. She doesn't even look nervous at all, despite the fact that she's about to get a permanent tattoo.

Christina shrugs. "I'm just persuasive. As always." She turns and winks at the tattoo artist, a woman with dark hair streaked with gray and warm, angled eyes. The woman winks back and Christina grins.

"Sit here," says a voice behind me. I feel my heartbeat in my throat as I sit on the chair a few feet away from Christina's. The woman tattoo artist stands and walks over to me, while another one crouches by Christina to start on her tattoo. She's decided to get a tattoo on her upper arm, one of a flame encased in a circle. It fits her well.

The man lowers a needle to Christina's arm and she starts laughing. That's one thing that makes Christina special; she laughs when she's in pain instead of crying.

I turn to the woman, and she smiles easily. "I'm Tori. It's okay, you don't have to be nervous. I have tattoos, and they don't hurt that much." She sweeps her hair over one of her shoulders and turns to show me the back of her neck. Across her smooth skin, a hawk with a red eye glares back at me.

She wipes alcohol across my collarbone, and the acrid smell burns in my nostrils. "In some parts of the ancient world, hawks symbolised light. I figured if I always had the sun on me, I wouldn't be scared of the dark."

I turn to her as she preps the needle. "You're afraid of the dark?"

"I was." She replies, and I lean back and close my eyes. The needle touches the smooth skin of my collarbone and I wince, gritting my teeth together. My fingers curl into fists, the nails biting into my palms.

After what seems like a long time, Tori steps back. I open my eyes and she hands me a small mirror. "You like it?"

I examine my reflection. Three black ravens, flying across my collarbone towards my heart. One for each member of my family, no matter how broken it will always be.

**Tobias POV**

I sit in my hotel room, leaned back against the chair I've pushed up to the window. I curl my finger in, squeezing it into my palm until the nail breaks the skin. I barely feel it. I can barely feel anything.

The city blinks below, all tall buildings and tiny cars speeding down the miniature roads. I wonder what all the lives down there are like, the people who don't have my problems. Kids going to school, asking out their crushes for the first time. I remember when I was like them.

I remember going to school just outside of Chicago. I was always the quiet one in my classes, sat alone at lunch. Walking home alone through one of the abandoned parts of the city. I remember watching the homeless people cough and cough on cigarette smoke and stick another one between their teeth. I remember my dad when I would get home from school, his eyebrows drawn low over his eyes and his hand raised.

I stand at the window and touch my hand to the cool glass. The window feels so fragile. Like I can just break it, if I want to. I set the other hand on the glass and lean all my weight onto my forearms, letting the glass hold up my weight.

I could fall.

I don't care.

Gently, I ease away from the window and leave the room. I need to go find her, to explain myself. I don't exactly know what I'm going to say, or why I feel the need to, but if I don't try I'm afraid of what I will do.

The elevator takes me down to the lobby. I stare at the floor as I make my way to the door and crash into someone, sending her crashing to the floor along with several books.

"Sorry," I mutter, bending down to pick one up. The girl I walked into looks at me with narrowed eyes and they widen with recognition.

"You're Tobias Eaton," she says, her large brown eyes returning to their normal size. She folds her arms in front of her chest. "You're also, unfortunately, a cheating piece of shit."

"Excuse me?" I say, standing. She stands too, and I stare her right in the eye. She doesn't even blink.

"Yeah. You. What you've been doing with waitress girl? How you've been playing my good friend Tris?" She snorts. "Yeah, I've heard all about you, Tobias Eaton."

I stand there for a minute, words unable to form in my mind. The girl tilts her head to the side, her gaze challenging. "I want to make it right," I blurt out.

The girl rolls her eyes. "How do I know your not just bored again? Because she's clearly not enough for you."

I fold my arms across my chest. "It's not like that."

"No? Then what's it like?" She holds my stare.

I break the gaze and look past her at a mother with her two kids coming in through the front revolving door. I finally flick my eyes back to hers. "I really like her. But I'm stupid."

The girl grins a little bit. "So you really like Tris. Okay. What do you want?"

I consider this. "I want to see her. To talk to her." I feel a lump forming in my throat. I have to see her. Before I drive myself insane.

The girl grins a little. "You are so lucky I watched rom-com last night and that I'm in the mood for a love story." She bends and picks up her books. "I'm Christina, by the way. And Tris is in room 644."

She smiles again and walks away, out the doors and onto the Chicago sidewalk. I turn around and hurry back into the elevators. It seems to move infuriatingly slow and I tap my fingers against my pants pocket impatiently. The doors finally open and I step out into the maroon carpeted hallway.

Room 44 lies to my left. I hurry along the hallway until I reach the proper door and stand in front of it. Tris is inside. And I need to see her.

I swallow, my throat tightening, and knock carefully on the door. I hear light footsteps and the door cracks open. A sliver of her face greets me, and before either of us can do anything, my hand is on the door and I've pushed it open.

"Tobias?" Her voice sounds high, and quivers when she speaks. I step into her room and lean against the door until it shuts.

"Tris," I tell her, and before I can think of anything to say I grab her face in my hands and pull her lips to mine. I feel her hands curled against my chest and feel my nervous heartbeat slamming in my chest.

We break apart and Tris says, "You shouldn't be here."

"I know." I take another step towards her, and she backs up even more. She sits on the edge of one of the beds and I crouch in front of her. "But I needed to see you. Because..." I swallow. "I can't just stop. Stop doing whatever it is we were doing. I can't get you out of my head."

Tris stares down at me. "Tobias..." her voice trails off, quotes and unsure.

"I need you," I stammer, feeling my pulse quicken. Tris blinks, and suddenly kisses me again, the air around us buzzing with nervousness.

"I need you, too," she whispers against my mouth.

**Yup. Hehe.**

**I'm in Chicago right now so it seemed fitting to update while I'm here. I hope y'all liked the chapter as much as I do. My birthday just happened so yay, I'm older! Anyway, I hope it's not too cold where all of you are, because it is freezing where I am.**

**See you soon!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I KNOW, I KNOW, IT'S BEEN ALMOST TWO YEARS.**

**But I feel like continuing this story. I am so, so incredibly sorry to suddenly just disappear off of the face of the Earth like that. It was bad of me. I'm sorry guys. But, if anyone would even want to read this anymore, I will be finishing this story. Hopefully. Also, as an important side note: I deeply apologize for my incredibly awful sixth/seventh grade writing that came before this chapter. Well, and the writing that starts now. I try.**

**Anyway, happy Fourth of July to all of you Americans out there.**

**Endless love for you all!**

* * *

**Tris POV**

Warmth like honey runs slowly along my skin, sparked by the closeness of Tobias. He makes a soft sound deep in his throat, a pitiful and longing one, and warning alarms go off like bells in my mind. I gasp and push him away from me. Tobias rocks back on his heels, his eyes darkened. I press my fingers to my lips. Lips he used to _cheat on Shauna _with. Lips he cheated on.

"Tris...?" His voice is soft and laced with nervousness.

I shake my head. Confusion makes my vision blur, or maybe it's just tears. "What? What is this? What are we doing? Is this just until you...get bored, or find a new Shauna?" My fingers itch to curl into his soft hair, my lips yearn to press against his again. But I can't.

His blue eyes widen with shock. "Until I get _bored_, Tris? Do you understand how much this...how important this is to me?"

"But you don't _get_ it," I tell him, twisting my hands together in my lap. "For you, this can be anything. It doesn't matter. But I'm not like you! I'm just a normal person, Tobias. Who are we kidding?"

He reaches his hands forwards, grabbing my knees. "No, Tris. You're not just a normal person, not to me. And I know, I screwed everything up, but we can make it work, I know that we can-"

"Someone broke into my apartment, Tobias! They trashed my place and wrote a message on my wall! I just can't risk my safety, and Christina's, for something that won't last."

My breathing is heavy, causing my chest to heave up and down. My pulse feels like a frantic butterfly trapped beneath the skin of my wrist. Tobias' mouth is open, as if he is about to speak. His eyes are black with some dark, stewing emotion. "Broke in," he says, his voice scarily quiet.

Something about the hard set to his mouth and the way his fingers begin to dig into my knees scares me. "Tobias, it's fine," I hastily amend.

"No, it isn't." I wince as his hands continue to tighten on my legs, so hard that I feel as if they are leaving bruises on my skin. "Did the police catch who did it?"

I shake my head. "No," I admit softly. "They brushed it off as a cold case."

He removes his hands and I let out a small breath of relief. Tobias begins to pace in front of me, back and forth, back and forth. He keeps his eyelids closed, but opens his eyes to lock gazes with me as he pauses. "When?"

"The night of the premiere," I whisper.

Tobias stands still for a moment, like he's assessing the knowledge. "Fuck!" he yells, slamming his fist into the wall. I gasp as the drywall cracks, and his knuckles bloom with bright blood. He stares at his hand for a moment, with a look of near fascination on his face, before shaking his head and pulling back his fist again.

I jump to my feet and catch his arm before he can punch the wall again. "Tobias, stop it!"

"I can't!" he roars. His eyes are bright with disturbing clarity. "Don't you see? It can't be because of me that you're in danger. And it is. And I can't bear it if you are. And either way, I lose, because all I want is you but I can't do this to you!"

My breath catches in my throat. I feel something warm on my face and lift my fingers to feel my cheeks. They're wet. "Don't blame yourself," I tell him.

He looks down at me, his gaze flinty. "But it's my fault," he says, his voice cracking. He looks away from me.

"Wait here," I tell him, and hurry away to the bathroom. I grab a washcloth and soak it in water before coming back to him. He sits with his back bent on the edge of the bed. I kneel on the floor in front of him and grab his injured hand, running the small towel over his knuckles, wiping away the blood.

Tobias lets out a long breath. "I'm sorry, Tris," he says. He pulls his hand away from the rag and stands. I set the towel on the edge of the bed.

"Please don't be." He stares down at me, his eyes pained. I reach out and take his hand, looking over the angry red wounds on his knuckles. I run a finger over them. The splits are not deep - they will heal quickly.

He lets out a low groan. "Tris, don't touch me," he says in a tight voice. He stands, turning his shoulders away from me.

I freeze, my blood turning to ice. "Why not?"

"Because it's hard to control myself around you," he growls.

My cheeks flame. "Then don't," I say, my heart hammering in my chest.

He sucks in a breath and gives me a conflicting look before leaning in and pressing his lips to mine. His hands brush lightly across my shoulder blades, like he's afraid of breaking me. But I am not so fragile. I tighten my hands into the front of his shirt, twisting the material in my fists. He makes a low noise of surprise, but presses his hand against my waist, spinning me around so my back presses to the wall.

My lips part automatically beneath his, and his head leans to the side to deepen the kiss. He tastes like mint, and faintly of alcohol. I wonder, briefly, if he has been drinking, but hope he has not.

The door to our room slams open and we jump apart. Christina stands in the doorway, her mouth pressed into a small 'o'.

"Clearly, things are working out," she says gleefully. "You both up for some ice cream?"

* * *

**Tobias POV**

If there's one thing I can say about Christina, it's that she loves both talking and ice cream toppings. She piles on a ridiculous amount of brownie pieces, sprinkles, and God knows what else on top of her mountain of soft serve. She dragged me and Tris to a small creamery operated by a pair of retired surgeons. "No one is there this late at night, and they wouldn't recognize you," Christina had said.

So far she's right. The woman behind the counter didn't give me so much as a second glance. We're the only ones in the shop, and it feels strange to be somewhere in the public and not be swarmed by people wanting autographs, pictures, or worse.

We settle into a booth - Christina spilling bits of topping off onto the table as she settles, Tris nervously sliding onto the bench next to her, and me awkwardly sitting across from the both of them. Tris got plain vanilla soft serve with a few strawberry pieces stuck in the top. Christina had to beg her to get even that. "I like simplicity," she'd said.

I respect that.

"So," drawls Christina, twirling her spoon in front of her face. She grins. There's a small piece of cookie stuck in her teeth. "How's it going?" She quirks her eyebrows at me.

I feel my hands begin to sweat. This is going to be awkward at best. Even paired with her innocent, child-like smile, something about Christina's intelligent gaze makes me feel as if she is analyzing all of my movements and reading my thoughts. "What do you mean?" I ask.

She takes another bite of her ice cream before responding. "You know. Trying not to be a two-timing douchebag?"

"Christina!" Tris gasps, her mouth flying up to cover her mouth. Her blue eyes are wide with shock.

I feel my words get clumped in my throat and wish I was anywhere else but here, in this moment. "I'm not going to do anything to hurt Tris," I tell her. I catch her blue eyes from across the table. Her cheeks are flushed brightly with embarrassment and she is anxiously pulling at the high neck of her gray sweater.

"Again," Christina amends. "You won't do anything to hurt her again. Because as far as I'm concerned, you've already got strike one."

Tris smacks her shoulder. "Christina, stop it!"

"No, she's right," I say tiredly. My fingers curl in on themselves under the table, wishing there was a glass to close around, a drink to pour away my sins with. But I am not so lucky. "It wasn't fair to do that. I regret it."

Christina smiles and takes a large bite of her ice cream, scattering sprinkles across the table. "Good! Now that we're friends, tell me about your new movie. I haven't seen it yet."

"Um," I say. I hate talking about my career in everyday conversation. It never feels genuine. "It's alright, I suppose."

Tris smiles a little bit, her bright eyes flashing. "I thought it was good," she says, and I feel my pulse quicken in my wrists. "You'd like it, Chris."

Christina smirks. "Well you're a little _biased_, aren't you?" She catches Tris' eye and laughs. "Relax, I'm joking. Are you going to write a piece on it?"

Tris opens her mouth to speak, but I beat her to it. "A piece?" It occurs to me that I do not know what Tris does for a living.

"Yeah. You know, a piece," Christina repeats as if I'm daft. Maybe I am. Tris looks slightly sick.

"A piece for what?" I ask, suddenly feeling a bit ill myself. Ever since fake stories of me began floating around years ago, I've seen the media as my enemy, of sorts. Something I need, but also something that could ruin me. But how could it be all bad, if Tris is one of the faces behind it?

Tris looks down into her untouched soft serve. "Yeah, I work at Dauntless magazine and report occasionally for Channel 12," she says quietly.

She's a journalist? A reporter? One of the many faces in the crowds I have to fight through to do anything, to go anywhere? Now I really feel sick. My Tris? "Oh," is all I can think to say. Tris must read my expression because her face falls considerably, a dark shadow sweeping over her blue eyes.

"Awkward subject, okay," Christina says, clearly trying to diffuse some of the tension. "Well, I'm going to get going," she picks up her empty bowl - when did she have time to finish her ice cream? - and quickly sweeps from the store.

Leaving me and Tris, sitting alone in the deserted shop.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a journalist?" I ask her.

"It never came up," she mumbles in response. There's something else in her voice, a worried twinge, but I will not press her to talk about things she is clearly trying to avoid.

I reach across the table and pull her small, cold hand into mine. Her eyes flick up to meet mine. "I don't mind," I tell her.

It's only half a lie.


End file.
